Mii-dera

The Mii-dera (三井寺), in the past called Onjō-ji (園城寺), is a Buddhist temple located at the foot of the Mont Hiei, with Ōtsu, in the Préfecture of Shiga. It is only at one short distance of Kyōto and the Lac Biwa, the largest lake of the Japan. Principal temple of the sect Tendai Jimon, and to some extent a temple-sister of the Enryaku-ji, at the top of the mountain, it is one of the four larger temples of Japan. In all, there are 40 buildings in the monastic complex of Mii-dera.

History

Foundation

In 672, Onjō-ji is based, following an argument about the succession on the Trône of the chrysanthemum. The Empereur Tenji had died, and his/her son had been killed by the brother of Tenji, which had reached the throne under the name of Empereur Temmu. Temmu founded Onjō-ji in the honor and with the memory of his/her brother.

Approximately two centuries after, the temple is famous Mii-dera, (literally: “temple of the Three Wheels”, by Enchin, one of the first abbots of the Tendai sect. The name comes from the sources of the temple which were used for the ritual bath of the newborns, and in the honor of the emperors Tenhi and Temmu and the Impératrice Jitō, which contributed to the foundation of the temple. Today, Kondō, or principal Hall, point of disjunction a source of crowned water. Under the crook of Enchin, of 859 to its death in 891, Mii-dera gained power and importantce, becoming finally, at the sides of the Tōdai-ji, the Kōfuku-ji and the Enryaku-ji, one of the four temples in charge with the spiritual direction and the protection of the capital.

The Tendai sect

They is also at that time that is made separation between the Enryaku-ji and Mii-dera, developing in two branches of the sect Tendai, called Jimon and Sanmon. It acted in fact more than one geographical competition that of an ideological schism, but it was nevertheless an important separation, and it only became more severe after the death of Enchin. The competition became violent in second half of the 10th century, about a series of official nominations of other temples, and similar litigations. The zazu of Enryaku-ji of 970 form the first regular army with being recruited by a religious body. One can estimate that Mii-dera sets up one of them shortly after. In 989, a former abbot of Mii-dera, name of Yokei, is named abbot of the Enryaku-ji, but none the monks of the Enryaku-ji agrees to be useful under its orders. He thus desists quickly, but in 993, the monks of Mii-dera take their revenge, destroying a temple or had lived Ennin, the founder of the sect Sanmon of the Enryaku-ji. The monks of the Enryaku-ji retort by destroying 40 places associated with Enchin. To finish, more than one thousand of monks of the sect Jimon of Enchin take refuge in a permanent way in Mii-dera, cementing separation between the two sects.

During X {{E}}, XI {{E}}, and 12th centuries, similar incidents continue about the nomination of abbots ( zazu ), implying many monk-warriors (called Sōhei during the era of Edo). During only the 11th century, Mii-dera was reduced four times of ashes by the warlike monks of the Enryaku-ji. It however moments ago or the two temples were linked against a common enemy, including an attack against the Kōfuku-ji of Nara in 1081 (avenging the fire for Mii-dera by monks of Kōfuku-ji the same year, and a linked attack, against Nara once again, in 1117.

The war of Gempei

At the end of the 12th century, the attention of the monks of the Hiei mount is then monopolized by a more important conflict: the War of Gempei. The clans Minamoto and Taira supported two different heirs with the throne, and in June 1180, Minamoto take along theirs, the prince Mochihito, in Mii-dera, fleeing the Samurais Taira. Mii-dera requires the support of Enryaku-ji, but this one refuses (Taira No Kiyomori had made them important gifts of rice and silk so that they remain neutral). The monks of Mii-dera join the Minamoto troops then and flee with the Byōdō-in, a villa belonging to the clan Fujiwara and reconverted in monastery by the monks of Mii-dera. They will then be beaten by Taira at the time of the first battle of Uji.

However, furious of alliance Mii-dera/Minamoto, Taira No Kiyomori orders the destruction of Mii-dera, as well as many temples of Nara (see the article Siège of Nara) . The monks of Mii-dera fight another time during the war of Gempei, combatant in 1180 at the sides of sympatisants Taira against Minamoto No Yoshinaka which had invaded Kyōto, put fire at the Hōjūjiden and had kidnapped the emperor Go-Shirakawa (See the article Siège of Hōjūjiden) .

After the war, there was for the monks one long period of relative peace, all the temples of Kyōto and Nara, Enryaku-ji except, being occupied with their rebuilding. Whereas the temples regained influence, the competitions reappeared, although there was not any more, or very little, of violence between the Enryaku-ji and Mii-dera.

In 1367, when a beginner of Mii-dera was killed at a turn pike established by the temple Nanzen-ji, the monk-warriors of Mii-dera were sent to attack this one, and when the forces of the Shogun were sent to put a term at the rebellion, they discovered that the monks of Mii-dera were supported by sōhei of Enryaku-ji and Kōfuku-ji. One year afterwards, another battle occurs in connection with comments formulated by the abbot of Nanzen-ji, and the monks of Mii-dera and their allies beat once again the forces shogunales.

Segoku period and afterwards

At the end of the 16th century, Mii-dera, like many other close temples, sought alliances, as well for defense as for the military power. The territories of the clans Asai and Asakura were close to the Hiei mount, but these families, just as of others to which the temples had been combined, were rival of Nobunaga Oda. These two families suffered from heavy defeats of the hands of Nobunaga and its general-in-chief Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and in 1571 they sought a stronger alliance with the temples. The same year, Nobunaga undertakes all to destroy on the Hiei mount, of the town of Sakamoto to its foot until the Enryaku-ji at the top. The major part of Mii-dera is then destroyed, the monks-guerries failing to fight against Nobunaga and its large army of over-trained Samurai S.

After these attacks, the monks of the Hiei mount are finally authorized to rebuild their temples once more. Mii-dera was attacked never again after these events.

Buildings and treasures

Within Kondō and of Hondō (the principal room and the room of the Buddha, there are at least six statues of Buddha, crowned possessions of various emperors, including Tenji, who are hidden and shown in the very rare ones and special occasions, just as a large statue of the Miroku Buddha (or Maitreya) in the center of the room. Kondō was built in 1599, to replace the original builds in 672 and destroyed by Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Mii-dera has also Kannon-dō, builds in 1072, a room dedicated to Kannon, the Bodhisattva of the Compassion. Mii-dera is the 14th temple in a pilgrimage of 33 templs devoted to Kannon in the Région of Kansai.

See too

Internal bonds

Sōhei : The article on the warlike monks
List of Buddhist temples

External bonds

official site

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