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| Hongakuji (本覺寺) |
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| Bunkotsudo |
Hongakuji (本覺寺) is a
Nichiren Buddhist temple located southeast of
Kamakura Station in the Komachi District of
Kamakura,
Kanagawa Prefecture. Although the temple itself was founded in 1436, its origins trace back to a
Tendai Buddhist hall called Ebisudo (夷堂). This hall was built by
Minamoto no Yorikomo (1147-1199) as a guardian of the
Kamakura shogunate. It is said that
Nichiren stayed at the hall for about 40 days after returning from
Sado, where he had been exiled, before leaving for
Mount Minobu, where he founded
Kuonji Temple. The hall burned down during the fall of the Kamakura shogunate in 1333.
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Ebisudo
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Later, in 1436, Nisshutsu built the Nichiren Buddhist temple of Hongakuji at the site. The second head priest, Nissho, brought some of Nichiren's ashes from Mount Minobu to Hongakuji, which are now stored in the Bunkotsudo (分骨堂). This connection has led people to refer to Hongakuji as "Higashi Minobu," meaning "East Minobu."
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View of Niomon from Ebisudo
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Niomon
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In 1981, the Ebisudo was reconstructed next to the Niomon. The current Niomon was built in 1855 and underwent repairs in September 2012, along with the two Nio statues on either side.
