Saikyo-ji Temple
西教寺Saikyo-ji, formally known as Tendai Shinsei-shū Sōhonzan Kaikōzan Kenhōshō Saikyo-ji, is the head temple of the Tendai Shinsei sect of Japanese Buddhism. It is located in Sakamoto, Otsu City at the foot of Mount Hiei. The temple has long been an important religious center in the Ōmi region.
According to temple tradition, Saikyo-ji was founded by Prince Shōtoku. After periods of decline, it was revived by the Tendai monk Ryōgen. In the medieval period, reforms associated with Tendai precepts were reestablished at the temple, building on the teachings of Saichō, the founder of the Tendai school.
A major turning point came in 1486, when Shinsei Shōnin entered Saikyo-ji. He reorganised the temple and established it as the central training and practice site for the Tendai Shinsei sect, emphasising adherence to the precepts and continuous nembutsu (recitation of the name of Amida Buddha). From this period onward, Saikyo-ji developed into the head temple of a nationwide network of branch temples.
In 1571, during the campaign of Oda Nobunaga against Mount Hiei, Saikyo-ji suffered destruction. It was later restored with the support of Akechi Mitsuhide, lord of Sakamoto Castle, who became a patron of the temple. Mitsuhide and members of his family are memorialized at the site.
The temple complex includes several historically significant buildings and cultural properties. The Main Hall, dating from the Edo period, is designated an Important Cultural Property and enshrines a large seated Amida Nyorai from the Heian period. The Guest Hall, originally part of Fushimi Castle, is also designated an Important Cultural Property and contains notable examples of Momoyama-period architecture and painting. The temple garden, traditionally attributed to Kobori Enshū, is designed in harmony with the surrounding hillside landscape.
Today, Saikyo-ji remains the head temple of the Tendai Shinsei sect and continues to function as a religious and historical site reflecting the development of Tendai Buddhist practice in the region.
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