Inka - Inge

In a broader sense, it refers to a temple that has a principal image, a monastery, and a financial structure that are independent of the main temple and has a temple name within the temple grounds. In the Heian period, when members of the imperial family or aristocrats lived there and called themselves monzeki, the term came to refer exclusively to monzeki temples. Famous examples include Daijoin and Ichijoin temples at Kofuku-ji Temple and Sanboin temples at Daigo-ji Temple. These temples also took over the head priest position at the main temple and became the heads of the temples instead of the main temple. This led to the creation of a group of people who assisted the monzeki, and since then they have been called inke. An example of this is when Hongan-ji Temple of the Jodo Shinshu sect was granted quasi-monzeki status by imperial decree in 1559 (Eiroku 2), and the following year eight temples from the Hongan-ji sect were listed as inke.

[Hitoshi Okusa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

広義には、寺院の境内にあって本寺とは独立した本尊、伽藍(がらん)、経済を有し、院名をもつ寺坊をいう。平安時代に、皇族、貴族がここに住して門跡(もんぜき)を称すると、もっぱら門跡寺院をさすようになった。興福寺(こうふくじ)の大乗院(だいじょういん)、一乗院、醍醐寺(だいごじ)の三宝院(さんぼういん)などがその著名な例である。これらは本寺の座主(ざす)職などをも専断し、本寺にかわって寺院の主宰者となった。このため、門跡を補佐するものが成立し、以来、これを院家と称した。浄土真宗の本願寺が1559年（永禄2）に准(じゅん)門跡を勅許されたとき、翌年に本願寺一門の寺々のうちから8か寺が院家に列せられたのはその例である。

［大桑　斉］

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