Rinsen-ji Temple (臨川寺)
Rinsen-ji Temple is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Rinzai Sect Tenryuji School located in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City. Its sango (literally, "mountain name"), which is the title prefixed to the name of a Buddhist temple, is Reigizan. The principal image is Miroku Bosatsu.
History
It was originally intended that Emperor Godaigo's son Imperial Prince Yoyoshi originally would found the temple and invite Genno Hongen to serve as the first head priest of Rinsen-ji Temple but he died before the construction of the temple was completed, so his father acted as founder and appointed Muso Soseki as the first head priest in 1335. Soseki passed away at the temple and Takauji ASHIKAGA ranked it as one of the Jissetsu (ten most important temples of the Rinzai Sect, second in significance to the Gozan) before it was designated one of the Gozan (five most highly ranked Zen temples) by Kanrei (Shogun's Deputy) Yoriyuki HOSOKAWA during the time of Yoshimitsu ASHIKAGA but it was to be reclassified as one of the Jissetsu due to Yoriyuki's defeat in the Koryaku Coup. Rinsen-ji Temple remained one of the Jissetsu during the Edo period and received a vermilion-seal certificate from the Edo bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun).
Cultural property
Cultural Property Designated by Kyoto City
Kaisan-do (founder's hall), kyakuden (guest hall), chumon (inner gate)
Address
33 Sagatenryujitsukurimichi-cho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture