Temple name - Ingo

It is the highest honorific given above a Buddhist name (Homyo) or a Buddhist posthumous name (Kaimyo). In originally meant a building with a fence or corridor, and was the title given to government offices and temples, but came to be used to refer to the Imperial Palace after an emperor abdicated. Furthermore, since Emperor Saga and Emperor Junna were given the titles Saga-in and Junna-in in the early 10th century, due to the temples where they lived, it has come to be used as an honorific for people of high rank. At the end of the 10th century, Emperor Ichijo's mother took the name Higashisanjo-in, giving her the title of Nyoin-in, and Regent Fujiwara no Kaneie took the name Hoko-in, giving her the title of Sekkanka-in. Many of these were given the name of the temple where the monk retired to live as a monk. Eventually, Ashikaga Takauji was given the title Tojiin-dono, due to the temple he founded, and successive Shoguns gave the title In-dono to distinguish them from the nobles. During the Edo period, the In-dono title was used by samurai in general and was considered to be higher than In-go. On the other hand, it was used early among Buddhist monks, such as Ennin who was called Zento-in and Enchin who was called Sanno-in, and it was mainly given to the head priests of the Tendai and Shingon sects. In the Jodo Shinshu sect, the head priests of the sect have given the title since Renyo, and after Hongan-ji was granted the title of head priest, it was extended to the monks of branch temples. In the Jodo sect, the three-character In-go title was given to monks who had made outstanding achievements and they were ranked as In-ke. In this way, during the Edo period, it became popular among samurai and monks, and also came to be worn by certain members of the public.

[Hitoshi Okusa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

法名(ほうみょう)、戒名(かいみょう)の上に冠する最上の尊称。院とはもともと垣や回廊のある建物の意で、官庁や寺の称号であったが、天皇譲位後の御所の呼称に用いられるようになった。さらに10世紀初めの嵯峨(さが)天皇、淳和(じゅんな)天皇が、その居院によって嵯峨院、淳和院と称されて以来、高貴の人の尊称に転じた。10世紀末には一条(いちじょう)天皇の母が東三条(ひがしさんじょう)院と号して女院院号が、関白藤原兼家(かねいえ)が法興(ほうこう)院と号して摂関家院号が始まった。その多くは入道隠棲(いんせい)した寺院名を冠するものであった。やがて足利尊氏(あしかがたかうじ)がその開創にかかる等持院によって等持院殿と称されて以来、歴代将軍は公家(くげ)と区別して院殿号を冠した。江戸時代に院殿号は武家一般に用いられ、院号より上位とされた。一方、僧侶(そうりょ)間では、円仁(えんにん)が前唐(ぜんとう)院、円珍(えんちん)が山王(さんのう)院と称したごとく早くから用いられ、主として天台宗、真言宗の門跡(もんぜき)寺院で冠されていた。浄土真宗では蓮如(れんにょ)以来法主(ほっしゅ)がこれを冠し、本願寺が門跡を勅許されて以後、末寺僧侶に及んだ。浄土宗では功績のあった僧侶に三字院号を与え院家(いんげ)に列した。江戸時代にはこうして武家や僧侶に普及し、また特定の民衆にもこれを冠するようになった。

［大桑　斉］

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