”Mt. Hiei Enryakuji” The Mother Mountain for Buddhism in Japan

Dojo where prestigious priests trained

Enryakuji was designated UNESCO World Heritage in 1994. It is located on the top of Mt. Hiei, overlooking Lake Biwa to the east, and the old capital of Kyoto to the west. It is a temple founded by Saicho, who founded the Tendai sect at the end of the 8th century. 1200 years since its establishment, it has been a ”dojo” for the spiritual protection of the nation, as it is a mountain for ascetic training to pray for peace of the nation, and numbers of famous prestigious priests are known to have trained here, such as Shinran of Jodo Shinshu, Nichiren of Nichiren shu, Honen of Jodoshu. More so, it is referred to as ”Japanese Buddhism’s Mother Mountain”.
However, its history was full of dramatic events. For example, towards the end of the Heian period, temples and shrines started to arm themselves to retaliate towards the bigger oppressive temples. Enryakuji also armed themselves to counteract. Their powers became so big even Emperor Shirakawa was said to have said, ”Kamo river floods, how dice rolls, the priest soldiers of Mt. Hiei: These are the things I have no control over.”

Surviving the Rough Times

Later during the Ashikaga shogunate, disputes occurred between the shogunate and Enryakuji as the shogunate tried to suppress them. The shogunate tricked a powerful priest into prying him out of the temple and then decapitated him. The priests, in turn revolted against their act and barricaded themselves inside the temple and set it on fire.
During the Sengoku period, the temple was set fire by Oda Nobunaga. Nobunaga is said to have set fire on the entire mountain, and what was left was only the Rurido which remains to this day. Priests’ quarters were only restored in times of Hideyoshi or Ieyasu. Recently in 1987, on the 1200 years memorial of its establishment, worldwide religious leaders gathered at Mt. Hiei and held the ”Mt. Hiei’s Religion Summit” to pray and communicate with each other for world peace. Ever since, in August every year, ”Prayers of Global Religions” are held. Enryakuji created history and at the same time was tossed around by history. Yet still people gather at Enryakuji to unite together for world peace.

ACCESS

Mt. Hiei Enryakuji: 4220 Sakamoto Honmachi Otsu-shi Shiga; URL http://www.hieizan.or.jp/