Horaiji Temple

The head temple of the Shingon sect Gochi sect is located in the mountains of Horaiji in Kadoya, Shinshiro City, Aichi Prefecture. It is called Engangan-san. The principal image is Yakushi Nyorai. It is also called Mine Yakushi and is known as one of the three Yakushi in Japan. It is said that the temple was founded by the hermit Rishu in 703 (Taiho 3) at the request of Emperor Mommu. Later, Minamoto no Yoritomo rebuilt the three-story pagoda and other buildings. It is said that Tokugawa Ieyasu was the one who gave birth to a child during the Tenbun era (1532-1555) when Matsudaira Hirotada and his wife stayed at the temple and gave birth to a child. After the unification of Japan, the temple flourished under his patronage. Furthermore, during the reign of the third shogun, Iemitsu, the temple was renovated and Toshogu Shrine was constructed. However, the temple's various temples fell into decline due to conflicts between the Shingon and Tendai sects, as well as the anti-Buddhist movement during the Meiji period. In 1906 (Meiji 39), the entire temple became a Shingon sect temple, and it gradually recovered, eventually becoming the head temple of the current school in 1954 (Showa 29).

[Hiromune Mashiba]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

愛知県新城(しんしろ)市門谷(かどや)、鳳来寺山中にある真言(しんごん)宗五智(ごち)教団本山。煙巌山(えんごんさん)と号する。本尊は薬師如来(にょらい)。峯薬師(みねやくし)ともよばれ、日本三薬師の一つとして知られる。703年（大宝3）文武(もんむ)天皇の勅願により、利修(りしゅう)仙人の開創と伝える。その後、源頼朝(よりとも)は三重塔をはじめ諸堂宇を再建した。また天文(てんぶん)年間（1532～55）に松平広忠(ひろただ)夫妻が当寺に参籠(さんろう)して一子を得たのが徳川家康といわれ、天下統一後はその外護(げご)により寺運隆盛を迎えた。さらに3代将軍家光(いえみつ)の代に伽藍(がらん)を改修するとともに、東照宮も造営された。しかし当山各坊は真言・天台両宗の対立と、明治の廃仏棄釈などにより衰えたが、1906年（明治39）全山真言宗となり、しだいに復旧し、1954年（昭和29）現派本山となった。

［眞柴弘宗］

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