Kinpusenji Temple

It is the head temple of Kinpusen-san Shugen Honshu, located in Yoshinoyama, Yoshino-cho, Yoshino-gun, Nara Prefecture. It is called Kokujikusan Kinpusen-ji Temple. It was the main training center of Shugendo, but it became affiliated with Tendai Buddhism after the Meiji era's anti-Buddhist movement, and after World War II it became Omine Shugen-shu, and in 1952 (Showa 27) it changed its name to its current sect. Since the main hall is called Zao-do, it is commonly called Zao-do or Kinrin-oji Temple. Kinpusen-san means Golden Mount, and refers to the mountain range from Yoshinoyama to Sanjogatake. The main hall on top of Yoshinoyama is the Yamashita Zao-do of Kinpusen-ji Temple, and the main hall on Sanjogatake is the Yamagami Zao-do of Kinpusen-ji Temple, and so it is called Ominesan-ji Temple. Historically, the mountains stretching from Ozasa south of Sanjo-ga-take to Kumano further inland were called Mount Omine (Ominesan), and were the target of ascetic monks' Okugake training (Omine pilgrimage).

The date of the temple's founding is unclear, but temple legend has it that it was founded in 673 (the second year of Emperor Tenmu's reign) by En no Gyoja (En no Ozunu, Shinpen Daibosatsu). It is said to have begun when, after much ascetic practice on Mount Kinpu, an ancient sacred mountain, En no Gyoja had a vision of Kongo Zao Gongen, which he carved into a piece of cherry wood and made into the principal image of the temple. Combined with ancient mountain worship, it became a training ground for many high priests and ascetics during the Nara and Heian periods, and was also revered by successive emperors as a sacred place of the Golden Pure Land. From then on, the temple flourished through the Momoyama period, and over a hundred sub-temples were built within the mountain. The monks, known as the Yoshino Taishu, became a rival force to Mount Koya. It is well known that during the Nanboku-cho period, Emperor Godaigo's Southern Court (Yoshino Court) was located within the temple. In 1595 (Bunroku 4), Toyotomi Hideyoshi donated temple land to the temple. However, due to the policy of separating Shinto and Buddhism during the Meiji Restoration, many of the sub-temples within the mountain were abandoned. Mount Yoshino's Zaodo Hall was rebuilt in 1455 (Kosho 1) after being burned down several times. It is the second largest wooden structure after the Great Buddha Hall of Todaiji Temple, and is designated as a national treasure along with Niomon Gate. The temple has many treasures, including national treasures such as a gold and silver plated sutra box with a double bird and a flower motif, a gilt bronze sutra box with a stand, and a picture of the Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Kannon, as well as important cultural properties such as a gilt bronze ornamented oi, a wooden standing statue of a child, and a large bronze lantern. In the grounds of Zao-do Hall, there is a four-tree cherry tree where Prince Morinaga held his final drinking party in 1333 (Ganko 3) after being attacked by the Hojo forces and deciding to take Yoshino Castle, and many of Emperor Godaigo's beloved items. Events include Setsubun (a will-o'-the-wisp festival) on February 3rd, the flower offering ceremony on April 11th and 12th, and the lotus festival (a frog-jumping festival) on July 7th.

[Nakayama Kiyota]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

奈良県吉野郡吉野町吉野山にある金峯山修験本宗(しゅげんほんしゅう)の総本山。国軸山(こくじくさん)金峯山寺と号する。修験道の根本道場であったが、明治の廃仏棄釈によって天台宗に属し、第二次世界大戦後に大峯(おおみね)修験宗、1952年（昭和27）現在の宗派名に改めた。本堂を蔵王(ざおう)堂と称するところから、通称を蔵王堂とも、また金輪王寺ともいう。金峯山は金御岳(かねのみたけ)の意で、吉野山から山上ヶ岳(さんじょうがたけ)までの山並みをさし、吉野山上にある本堂は金峯山寺の山下蔵王堂であり、山上ヶ岳にある本堂は金峯山寺の山上蔵王堂で、大峯山寺とよばれている。歴史的には山上ヶ岳南の小篠(おざさ)からさらに奥の熊野までの山々を大峯山（大峰山）と称し、修験者の大峯奥駈(おくがけ)修行（大峯詣(まい)り）の対象とされる。

　当寺の創建年代は明らかでないが、寺伝では、673年（天武天皇2）役行者(えんのぎょうじゃ)（役小角(えんのおづぬ)、神変大菩薩(しんぺんだいぼさつ)）の開山と伝える。古来の霊山であった金峯山上で役行者が苦行のすえに金剛蔵王権現(こんごうざおうごんげん)を感得し、これをサクラの木に彫って本尊としたのに始まるという。古代からの山岳信仰と相まって、奈良・平安時代には多くの高僧や修験者の修行の地となり、また黄金浄土の聖地として歴代天皇に帰依(きえ)された。以後、桃山時代にかけて寺勢は隆盛を極め、山内には百数十に及ぶ塔頭(たっちゅう)寺院が建ち、僧徒は吉野大衆(よしののたいしゅう)とよばれて高野山(こうやさん)に対抗する勢力となった。南北朝時代には後醍醐(ごだいご)天皇の南朝（吉野朝）が寺内に置かれたことは著名である。1595年（文禄4）には豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉の寺領寄進も得ている。しかし、明治維新の神仏分離策によって、山内の塔頭寺院の多くは廃寺となった。吉野山の蔵王堂は数度の焼失ののち1455年（康正1）に再建されたもので、木造では東大寺大仏殿に次ぐ大建造物であり、二王門とともに国宝に指定されている。金銀鍍金双鳥宝相華(ときんそうちょうほうそうげ)文経箱、金銅(こんどう)経箱台付、千手千眼観音画像などの国宝や、金銅装笈(おい)、木造童子立像、青銅大灯籠(とうろう)などの国の重要文化財など、寺宝が多い。蔵王堂境内に、1333年（元弘3）に護良(もりなが)親王が北条勢に攻められて吉野落城を決意し最後の酒宴を開いたという四本桜があるほか、後醍醐天皇の遺愛品も多い。2月3日の節分（鬼火の祭典）、4月11、12日の花供会式(はなくえしき)、7月7日の蓮華会(れんげえ)（蛙(かわず)とび）などの行事がある。

［中山清田］

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