Around Mt. Tsurugata in the Bikan Historical Area are many temples and shrines, including Kanryuji Temple and Achi Shrine.
Seiganji Temple, of the Jodo sect, Bukkozan Narichikain, is a historic temple said to have been founded around the middle of the Heian period as a Tendai sect temple associated with Eshin Sozu Genshin.
There is also a tradition that Fujiwara no Narichika, who was exiled as a result of the Shishigatani Conspiracy that took place in the late Heian period, stayed at Seiganji Temple.
We introduce Seiganji Temple, a spot in Kurashiki that tells the story of Heian-period history.
Seiganji Temple is not a tourist attraction, so visitors cannot enter its grounds or main hall.
Enjoy a look at Seiganji Temple, which is not usually open to the public, through this article.
The information presented was current when this article was published in January 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
About Seiganji Temple
Seiganji Temple is located in the Kurashiki Hondori Shopping Street, at the foot of Mt. Tsurugata, north of the Bikan Historical Area.
Seiganji Temple's mountain name is “Bukkozan,” its temple name is “Narichikain,” and it belongs to the Chinzei branch of the Jodo sect, under Chion-in Temple.
“Mountain name”
A title given to a Buddhist temple. Sometimes it is the name of the mountain where the temple is located; in other cases, a Buddhist term unrelated to its location is used.
“Temple name”
From the Heian period onward, this designation was granted to temples such as those where members of the imperial family served as monzeki (head priests).
It is said that the temple was originally located at the corner of Numeri Rock, at the foot of Mt. Tsurugata, around the present-day west approach entrance to Achi Shrine.
To learn about Numeri Rock, read the information board beside La Pan Kurashiki Store in the Kurashiki Hondori Shopping Street.
▼We asked Seiganji Temple’s head priest, Shigitani Shinsaku, to tell us about the main hall, the temple grounds, and the temple’s history.
Highlights of Seiganji Temple
The grounds of Seiganji Temple are so vast that you would never guess their size just by peering in from the entrance with its temple gate.
Head Priest Shigitani showed us around the main hall, temple gate, Tobiume Tenmangu Shrine, and other historic buildings, as well as the principal image.
▼A moment while heading up to the cemetery.
First, your eyes are drawn to the magnificent quince tree.
Main Hall
Straight ahead after entering through the temple gate is the 400-year-old main hall, with the entrance and priests’ quarters to its right.
When the temple gate is open, you can look at the main hall through it.
To the left of the main hall are Enmado Hall, the cemetery, and the bell tower; to the right is Tobiume Tenmangu Shrine.
▼In addition to balustrade carvings such as the “chrysanthemum crest,” the curved roof and the wooden entrance on the right are also beautifully crafted.
Just walk a little way up between the graves to the left of the main hall, and the view changes.
You can appreciate the size of the main hall, and the Bikan Historical Area is right there.
Nearby is the former Kurashiki Post Office (now Sanraku Co., Ltd.). Beyond it, you can see the former Chugoku Bank (now Shin-Kojimakan of the Ohara Museum of Art).
Principal Image
At the center of the main hall, with its serene atmosphere and clear air, is Seiganji Temple’s principal image, Amida Nyorai.
Facing the principal image, with its dignified presence, was so moving that I found myself holding my breath.
The side altars to the left and right of the inner sanctuary, where the principal image is enshrined, hold the Standing Statues of the Six Jodo Patriarchs.
Amida Nyorai vowed, “I will surely save those who chant my name.” It is said that when people die, if they chant “Namu Amida Butsu,” they will be welcomed into the Pure Land.
Seiganji Temple’s Amida Nyorai forms the Raigo-in mudra (making a circle with the index finger, raising the right hand and lowering the left). This mudra is said to embody the meaning “to save all people.”
On the back of the doors of the three-meter-high shrine housing Amida Nyorai is a delicately and beautifully painted “Descent of the Twenty-Five Bodhisattvas.”
Next, looking toward the inner sanctuary from the rear of the outer sanctuary, you notice the wooden barrier marking the boundary between the inner and outer sanctuaries.
▼According to Head Priest Shigitani, “This barrier is not part of the usual layout of a Jodo sect temple. I can’t say for certain, but perhaps it is a remnant of the temple’s earlier Tendai sect period.”
Standing Statues of the Six Jodo Patriarchs
The Standing Statues of the Six Jodo Patriarchs, enshrined at the side altars beside the principal image, are each intricately carved and decorated in vivid colors.
They are therefore thought to be the work of a renowned Buddhist sculptor, but the details are unknown.
▼The side altar on the left of the inner sanctuary enshrines three priests, from right to left: Honen Shonin, Seiko Shonin, and Ryochu Shonin.
▼ In the side altar on the right are enshrined three masters, from right to left: Master Donran, Zen Master Dosaku, and Master Zendo.
The Temple Gate and Lions
This photo of Seiganji Temple’s gate was taken from inside the grounds, a view not usually seen.
What I’d like you to notice are the lion statues at the four corners of the roof.
In fact, the lions on the front and back have different designs.
The lions inside the grounds are sitting, while the lion on Honmachi-dori has its hind leg raised near its head, making it a leaping lion.
According to Chief Priest Shigitani, “The dynamic lions and the seated lions express movement and stillness, and the lions on the Honmachi-dori side and the grounds side form a pair of A-un.
The left and right lions also represent A-un through whether their mouths are open or closed, expressing it in two ways.
They are often mistaken for komainu, but they are lions.”
Without that explanation, I wouldn’t have noticed the difference between komainu and lions.
I myself had assumed they were komainu.
▼ The leaping lion on the right, on the Honmachi-dori side (Agyo)
▼ The seated lion on the left, viewed from the temple side (Ungyo)
Enma Hall
To the left after entering the temple gate is Enma Hall.
▼ Chief Priest Shigitani explained:
“In the past, the statue of Enma and the Ten Kings statues were kept in a storeroom on the second floor of Enma Hall. My father, who was my teacher, rearranged them and enshrined them as they are now. In fact, for some reason there are eleven statues of the Ten Kings, and it is still unclear why there are eleven.”
Dragon Palace Gate and the Mizusawa Family Cemetery
In the most secluded, elevated part of Seiganji’s cemetery is the “Mizusawa Family Cemetery,” with a “Dragon Palace Gate” at its entrance.
Even the entrance to the cemetery has such a magnificent Dragon Palace Gate, giving a sense of the family’s former prosperity.
The Mizusawa family (Izutsuya) was one of 13 famous wealthy merchant families in Kurashiki in the early Edo period. Their land once extended as far as Sakazu.
From around the Kansei era (late 1700s) to the Bunsei era (early 1800s), they became the wealthiest family in Bitchu.
The building that now houses the Kurashiki Museum of Folkcraft was a storehouse on the Mizusawa family estate until the mid-Meiji period.
▼ The Mizusawa family cemetery is meticulously maintained, with the graves neatly arranged.
The fact that the graves of generations of the once-prosperous Mizusawa family are in Seiganji’s cemetery shows that Seiganji has long been a temple of high standing.
Tobiume Tenmangu Shrine (Worship Hall and Main Hall)
Tobiume Tenmangu Shrine is to the right after entering the temple gate.
▼ Tobiume Tenmangu Shrine (worship hall).
The komainu in front of the worship hall bear the name of Usami Ritsuuemon, an aide to the chief retainer of Magistrate Furuhashi Shinzaemon. They were donated by Usami in April 1831.
▼ Tobiume Tenmangu Shrine (main hall).
A distinctive feature of this main hall is the carving of a dove, closely associated with Hachimangu shrines.
The lanterns on either side of the main hall were donated in August 1827 by Magistrate Okusa Taro-uma and his son Tarozaemon.
Bell Tower
A two-story bell tower stands on a slight rise in the cemetery.
The bell was once lost after being requisitioned during the war, but a new bell was installed in 1980, when the bell tower was rededicated.
▼ The view from behind the bell tower is also spectacular.
Just a short climb gives you a view of Kurashiki City Office and as far as the Kojima Peninsula in the distance.
You can also get a close-up view of the traditional storehouse-style buildings characteristic of the Bikan Historical Area.
Roof Tile Crests
The roof tiles on Seiganji’s temple gate and elsewhere bear the “chrysanthemum crest,” which is said to have been specially permitted for use by Imperial Prince Kacho-no-miya Hasshinno.
Be sure to take a look at the roof tile crests on the temple gate.
They attest to the temple’s distinguished history.
▼ The roof tiles on the main hall and other buildings bear the character “誓” from Seiganji’s name.
The character for “vow” appeared in different forms on tiles repaired in different eras, but we were told that it has been standardized in recent renovations.
▼ Roof tile crests from the past have been gathered on the grounds.
It is interesting that there are various designs for the character for “vow,” which differs from era to era, and even for the “chrysanthemum crest.”
▼ Old roof tiles are also used along the approach leading from the temple gate to the main hall. We were told that the mother of Chief Priest Shigitani put them to use.
Kanzeon Bodhisattva, associated with Fujiwara no Narichika
▼ A Kanzeon Bodhisattva, said to have been enshrined by Fujiwara no Narichika in the late Heian period, is enshrined here.
History of Seiganji Temple
Seiganji Temple is a historic temple founded around the middle of the Heian period. Here is an introduction to its main history.
| Period | Event |
|---|---|
| Around the middle of the Heian period | Founded as a Tendai Buddhist temple associated with Eshin Sozu |
| Late Heian period | According to tradition, Fujiwara no Narichika stayed at Seiganji Temple while being exiled from Kyoto to Kojima, Bizen Province, after the “Shishigatani Incident,” a plot to overthrow the Taira clan was uncovered. He is said to have enshrined an image of Kannon Bodhisattva there. |
| 1424 | The first head priest, Zenkei, came to this area and founded the temple as a Jodo-shu Buddhist practice hall for nenbutsu chanting. |
| 1580 | Revived by the fifth head priest, Anrakuan Sakuden (the founder of rakugo). ※Anrakuan Sakuden later became the chief priest of Seiganji Temple, the head temple of the Nishiyama Fukakusa school of Jodo-shu in Kyoto. |
| Early Edo period, Genna era | Revived by the sixth head priest, Zuiko, who was appointed by Chion-in Temple. |
| Edo period | The ninth head priest, Hon'yo Gen'etsu, was a direct disciple of the 38th head priest of Chion-in Temple, Gen'yo Manmu. For this reason, the temple was revered as a leading Jodo-shu temple serving as the official liaison for Bitchu Province. |
| Mid-Edo period | During the tenure of the 15th head priest, Shoyo Reikai, the temple received successive favors from Imperial Prince Kacho-no-miya Hoshinno. It was granted the “Chrysanthemum Crest,” a “purple curtain,” and “gold-brocade robes,” and was permitted to use these in perpetuity. |
| 1849 | Main hall rebuilt |
Next, we interviewed the head priest, Shintaku Shinsaku.
Seiganji Temple Information
| Name | Seiganji Temple |
|---|---|
| Other name | Bukkosan Narichikain |
| Buddhist sect | Jodo Buddhism |
| Address | 2-25-36 Achi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-422-6318 |
| Parking | None |
| Principal image | Amida Nyorai |
| Goshuin (sutra-copying fee) | None |
| Visiting hours | Events open to the general public are as follows. ・December 31│New Year's Eve Bell-Ringing Ceremony ・April 8│Flower Festival: a Buddhist event where sweet tea is poured over the birth Buddha statue set up in front of the temple gate |
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