Nisseki-ji
History
The temple claims to have been founded in 725 AD by the wandering priest/miracle-worker Gyōki, who carved a 2.8 meter statue of Fudō Myō-ō in bas-relief on a tuff cliff-face. While there are no historical records to back up this claim, the carving itself dates from the late Heian period and is a designated Important Cultural Property in 1974. The statue is part of a group, which includes two of Fudō Myō-ō's assistants Kiṃkara (矜羯羅童子, Kongara dōji) and Ceṭaka (吒迦童子, Seitaka dōji), a seated statue of Amida Nyōrai and a seated Buddhist priest (possibly Gyōki). The latter two statues may have been added at a later date. The Fudō Myō-ō is 2.8 meters high and remains in good very preservation as it have been protected by a building for most of history. The temple was connected with worship of the sacred mountain Mount Tateyama and at one point had 21 subsidiaries and 60 chapels. The Fudō-dō was destroyed by a windstorm in 1335, by a fire set by troops of the Uesugi clan during the late Muromachi period and again by a tree in 1967.
In 1930, the carvings were designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1934. The temple's Sanmon and three-story pagoda are important cultural properties of Kamiichi town. The temple also has a waterfall which flows in six streams, which is used by practitioners of Shugendō for ritual purification.
See also
References
- ^ "大岩日石寺磨崖仏". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 25 December 2017.(in Japanese)
- ^ "大岩日石寺石仏". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 25 December 2017.(in Japanese)
External links
Media related to Nisseki-ji at Wikimedia Commons
- Kamiichi town official site (in Japanese)
- Toyama tourist information (in Japanese)