Sanmon Gate of Mount Hiei - Sanmon Gate of Mount Hiei

...After the Middle Ages, the monzeki were given the status of temples and came to monopolise the position of head of certain large temples. For example, the head priest of Enryaku-ji Temple was the head priest of Kajii Enyu-in (now Sanzen-in), Awataguchi Shoren-in, and Daibutsu Myoho-in, which were called the Three Monzeki of Mount Hiei. The head priest of Onjo-ji Temple (Mii-dera) was the head priest of Kyoto Shogo-in, Iwakura Jisso-in, and Otsu Enman-in, which were also the Three Monzeki of Mitsui. The head priest of Kofuku-ji Temple was the head priest of Daijo-in and Ichijo-in, who took turns in office. In the Edo period, the shogunate institutionalized many monzeki temples according to the family name and surname of the abbot at the time, as follows:

*Some of the terminology used in reference to "Eizan Sanmon Ruins" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…中世以降，門跡は寺格化し，特定の大寺の長を独占するようになった。延暦寺座主（ざす）は叡山三門跡と呼ばれた梶井円融院(現，三千院)と粟田口青蓮（しようれん）院と大仏妙法院の門跡が，また園城（おんじよう）寺(三井寺)の長吏は三井三門跡の京都聖護（しようご）院と岩倉実相院と大津円満院の門跡が，興福寺別当は大乗院と一乗院の門跡が交替で就任したのがその例である。　江戸時代になると，幕府は多くの門跡寺院をそのときどきの住持の族姓によって，次のように制度化した。…

※「叡山三門跡」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報