Higashi Honganji Temple in Kyoto, the main temple of the Jodo-shinsu sect of Buddhism, was established long back in 1602. Since then the temple suffered repeated devastations by fires. Its present structure dates back to 1859.
Higashi Honganji is indeed a must see temple in Kyoto city. It is one of the biggest temples in Japan with a colorful past. In sharp contrast to Kyoto’s mountain temples that mostly belong to Zen, Higashi Honganji Temple is dedicated to the Pure Land Sect.
The core of the Pure Land doctrine is that redemption is possible by chanting “praise to the Amida Buddha” wholeheartedly. The doctrinal simplicity of the Pure Land Sect made it very popular amongst the common people since the thirteenth century. Higashi Honganji has always been an active temple bustling with local people and tourists. Excluding the temple offices, abbot’s quarters etc. there are two main halls in the temple:
- The Founder’s Hall: It is centrally located opposite to the temple’s main gate. It is devoted to Shiran and has an image of the master in it.
- The second hall is positioned on the left side of the temple and is dedicated to Amida Buddha.
The two halls in the temple reflect an important characteristic of the Jodo Shin sect that the Shinran’s hall must be larger and more centrally located than the hall devoted for Buddha himself. This proves that the temple’s architecture is inspired from Shinran’s funerary chapel. The main gate of the Higashi Honganji temple is also spectacular and one of the largest gates in the Kyoto city. It has a unique two-story structure with the statue of Shinran carved in it. Kawaramachi-dori, the Abbot’s house, is located in the east of the temple.
Chokushi-mon, the smaller north gate of the temple that is now kept closed, imitates the gate in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Fushimi Castle. Higashi's buildings do not represent the ancient architecture as they were reconstructed following the devastating fires in the nineteenth century.
The reconstruction in the Meiji era has left behind several intricate features of the original structure. At that time, the ordinary ropes were not strong enough to haul heavy timbers used during construction of the temple. Stronger ropes woven from the hair of the women devotees did the job. One of such hair coil is still on display in the passageway joining the two main halls of the Higashi Honganji temple. A garden of the original temple is still there for public use. Constructed for the 13th abbot Sennyo in 1641 under the Shogun’s approval, this garden lies across the street to the east. Even now people can have the pleasure to walk through all the little pathways and bridges linking the garden paths. Once you are in Kyoto, you cannot afford to miss the Higashi-Honganji Temple, one of the richest heritage sites of the Buddhist capital of Japan.
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