Myoden-ji Temple (妙伝寺)
Myoden-ji Temple is a Buddhist temple of the Nichiren sect located in Nijo-dori sagaru, Higashi Oji-dori Street, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City. It is counted as one of the twenty-one Hokke sect temples in the central Kyoto. On its grounds there are five sub-temples: Myoshakuin, Enritsuin, Ryugakuin, Honkoin, and Gyokujuin).
Brief history of the temple
In 1477, on behalf of the followers of the Nichiren sect in Kyoto, the monk Nichii had his cremated bones divided up among Nichiren believers, thereby securing the conversion of Myozen KUSURIYA to the Nichiren sect and erecting Doichiu temple in Shirikiraya-machi on Ichijo Avenue, earning the nickname Kansai Minobu.
Thereafter, the temple was relocated to Saitoin on Shijo Avenue, and began to flourish as one of the twenty-one Hokke sect temples in the central Kyoto.
In 1536 (the fifth year of the Tenbun era) Myoden-ji Temple was destroyed during the Tenbun Hokke War.
In 1558 temple representatives received permission to rebuild the temple on its old site.
In 1591, on Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI's order, it was relocated to Teramachi-dori and Ebisugawa-dori Avenues.
The temple burned down during the Great Hoei Fire of 1708 (the fifth year of the Hoei era), and was relocated to its present-day location.
The current head priest is Nichiu NONOGAKI, the 80th abbot, and the temple follows a Yamashina Hoen dharma transmission.
Appearances in films and TV programs
Given its status as a perennial example of Kyoto temples, it has been used as the site of on location shooting for period dramas. The row of sub-temples was made to look like a row of period dwellings in town.