Daruma-ji
Buddhist temple in Ōji, Japan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daruma-ji (Japanese: 達磨寺, lit. 'Daruma Temple', also called Daruma-dera) is a Zen Buddhist temple in the city of Ōji in the Kitakatsuragi District, Nara Prefecture, Japan and is one of the 28 historical Sites of Prince Shōtoku.
| Daruma-ji | |
|---|---|
達磨寺, だるまじ | |
 Daruma-ji's main hall | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhist |
| Prefecture | Nara |
| Location | |
| Municipality | Kitakatsuragi |
| Country | Japan |
  Shown within Nara Prefecture  Daruma-ji (Japan) | |
| Prefecture | Nara |
| Geographic coordinates | 34°35′24″N 135°42′24″E |
The founding of the temple is associated with an event recorded in the 8th century work Nihon Shoki.[1] In Book XXII, Prince Shōtoku met a man in December 613. The man was starving, and Prince Shōtoku tried to feed him and give him aid, but the man died of hunger and Prince Shōtoku had a kofun built for him.[2] Days later, Prince Shōtoku declared that the man was a sage and had a messenger inspect the tomb, which was undisturbed but empty when opened.[3] In Nihon Shoki the sage is unnamed, but was later attributed as Daruma (Japanese: 達磨, lit. 'Bodhidharma').[4][5]
The Daruma-ji temple was built at the kofun in the early 13th century during the Kamakura period.[6][7] The temple was razed in the early 14th century by Buddhists who opposed the spread of the Zen school in Japan.[8] It was rebuilt in 1430 under the direction of Ashikaga Yoshinori.[9] The temple was burned down by Matsunaga Hisahide in the 16th century during the Sengoku period, and subsequently rebuilt by the order of Emperor Ōgimachi.[10]
Daruma-ji has a statue memorializing Prince Shōtoku's dog Yukimaru,[11][12] who was said to be able to understand speech and could read Buddhist writings.[13] Yukimaru's association with Daruma-ji inspired the city of Ōji to use Yukimaru as the Yuru-chara (mascot) for the city beginning in 2013.[14][13]
Daruma-ji has several artifacts that are designated as cultural properties. The hōjō was constructed in 1667 and became a prefecture-designated tangible cultural property in 1989.[15]
The Daruma-ji Chukoki Sekido (Japanese: 達磨寺中興記石幢, lit. 'Stone Column Recording the Revival of Daruma-ji') is a stone monument erected in 1448, describing the restoration of the temple during the Muromachi period, which was supported by the Muromachi bakufu.[6] The stone became a nationally designated important cultural property in 1923. In 2000, a stone was found in the base of the Chukoki stone which was inscribed in 1442, along with a Bizen ware pot and an incense burner that were subsequently assigned as nationally designated cultural properties.[16]
The temple has a wooden seated statue of Daruma, made in 1430 and commissioned by Ashikaga Yoshinori, that was designated as an important cultural property in 1909.[17] The temple also has a wooden seated statue of Prince Shōtoku that was designated as an important cultural property in 1923.[18] A pair of paintings at the temple, one of Prince Shōtoku and one of Daruma, are designated as important cultural property[19] along with a silk painting of the Buddha's death. The silk painting was originally held by the temple[20] and is now held at the Nara National Museum.[21] A wooden seated statue of Senju Kannon created during the Muromachi period was designated a tangible cultural property in 2005.[22]
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