Sendai's Famous Temples! What are the "Kitayama Gozan" that the Date Clan Admired? [Part 1] | Five Rinzai Zen Temples Located North of Sendai Castle

Introduction

The Buddhist meditation practice known as Zazen is so well-known that it's no exaggeration to say the word "ZEN" is recognized worldwide

It's not simply about concentrating one's mind; it's a philosophy that confronts life itself on a higher level, and it can be described as a comprehensive culture that includes the lifestyle and environment associated with it

Just as Zen has long been associated with martial arts and served as a spiritual pillar, it held a special significance for samurai, whose livelihood was inherently based on fighting

It is well known that Zen Buddhism, especially introduced during the Kamakura period, gained the support of the samurai class and became closely intertwined with samurai culture. This continued into the Sengoku period, and there were groups of warlords who deeply respected Zen Buddhism and its teachings

One example is the Date clan, a powerful family in the Tohoku region

When thinking of the Date clan, Date Masamune, known by the nickname "One-Eyed Dragon," is the most famous figure, and given his image as a flamboyant and unconventional figure, his patronage of Zen Buddhism might seem a little surprising

However, at the beginning of the Edo period, when the Sendai Domain was established, the "Kitayama Gozan" (Five Mountains of Kitayama) were created by reorganizing the temples that the Date family had revered up to that point

This article will introduce some of the famous temples in the Tohoku region, and also explain the Zen sect that was so important to the samurai class

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What are the "Kitayama Gozan"?

Kitayama Gozanrefers to the collective name for five Rinzai Zen Buddhist temples located in the area around Kitayama, Aoba Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture.

Located just south of the area between Kita-Sendai Station and Kitayama Station on the JR Senzan Line, it served to defend the northern part of Sendai Castle town during the Edo period and controlled important transportation routes such as the Oshu Kaido and Nebaishi Kaido

The origins of the Kitayama Gozan are said to lie in the five Rinzai Zen temples known as "Date Gozan," founded by Date Masayori, the fourth head of the Date clan, who were retainers of the Kamakura shogunate during the mid-Kamakura period . These temples underwent various changes and relocations before becoming what we know today as "Kitayama Gozan."

Below is a list of the five temples of Kitayama, along with their respective profiles

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Komyoji Temple

Komyoji Temple was founded by Date Masayori, the fourth head of the Date clan, to commemorate the Yuki clan, the wife of the first head of the clan, Tomomune. It is said that the temple was originally located in what is now Kunimi-machi, Date-gun, Fukushima Prefecture, and was moved to its current location in 1604

When the temple was destroyed by fire in 1624, it was rebuilt in a magnificent state by Date Masamune, the founder of the Sendai Domain, which suggests that he had a deep affection for this temple

The temple was destroyed by fire again in 1880 (Meiji 13), and the current main hall was rebuilt in 1931 (Showa 6)

To the northwest of the main hall of this temple are the tomb of Hasekura Tsunenaga , who led the Keichō Embassy to Europe, dispatched by Date Masamune in 1613, and traveled to Mexico and Europe , as well as a monument to Luis Sotelo , a Franciscan missionary who served as the chief envoy of the embassy .

• Sect: Rinzai Zen sect, Tofuku-ji branch
• Mountain name: Shōinzan
• Principal image: Thousand-armed Kannon
• Founded in 1283 (Kōan 6): Date Masayori
• The founder of the mountain was Sanpi Suiun

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Manshoji Temple

Manshoji Temple was founded by Date Masayori, the fourth head of the Date clan, to commemorate the first head, Asamune

It is said that the temple was originally located in what is now Koori-machi, Date-gun, Fukushima Prefecture, and moved to its current location in 1667 (Kanbun 7)

The tomb of Date Tomomune, the first head of the Date clan, is located here. He was a samurai retainer from the late Heian period to the early Kamakura period, and his original base was in Shimotsuke Province (present-day Tochigi Prefecture)

Minamoto no Yoritomo, who founded the Kamakura Shogunate, was his maternal cousin, and he joined forces with Yoritomo's army when he raised an army in 1180. He was
granted Date County in Mutsu Province for his military achievements in the Oshu War of 1189, and it is said that this is how he came to be known as the "Date" clan.

• Sect: Rinzai Zen sect, Tofuku-ji branch
• Mountain name...Togoyama
• Main deity... Holy Kannon
• Founded in 1283 (Kōan 6): Date Masayori
• Founding of the mountain... Buddha Chi

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Toshoji Temple

Toshōji Temple was founded by Date Masayori, the fourth head of the Date clan, and became the family temple for successive generations of the Date family

The temple was originally located in what is now Koori-machi, Date-gun, Fukushima Prefecture, and was moved in 1383 to Natsukari, Yonezawa-go, Dewa Province (present-day northwestern part of Takahata-machi, Yamagata Prefecture)

Furthermore, when Date Masamune was transferred to Iwadeyama Castle in what is now Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture in 1591, the family relocated to Iwadeyama again. Then, in 1600, when Sendai Castle was built, they settled in a location close to their current site

This temple is positioned as the foremost of the five major temples of Kitayama, and it is clear that it was literally the family temple of the Date clan, moving along with the successive changes in their territories

Furthermore, in the temple ranking system established by the Sendai Domain , it holds the highest rank of "Ichimon-kaku," and in the national temple ranking system, it is ranked as "Shozan," the third highest rank

In the Tohoku region, there are only two temples that hold this rank of "Shozan" (a high-ranking temple in Japan): this temple and Zuiganji Temple in Matsushima, which was restored by Date Masamune

• Sect: Rinzai Zen sect, Tofuku-ji branch
• Mountain name: Mui-zan
• Principal deity: Shakyamuni Buddha
• Founded in 1283 (Kōan 6): Date Masayori
• Founder: Sansō Eun

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Kakuganji Temple

Kakuganji Temple was founded in 1586 by Date Masamune, the 17th head of the Date clan and the founder of the Sendai Domain, as a memorial temple for his father, Terumune

The temple was originally located in what is now Toyama-cho, Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture. Similar to the aforementioned Toshōji Temple, when Masamune was transferred to Iwadeyama Castle in 1591, it moved to Iwadeyama in what is now Ōsaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, and then to Atagoyama in Sendai. It was moved to its current location in 1602, which seems to be linked to the events leading up to the establishment of the Date clan's base with the construction of Sendai Castle in 1601

Kakuganji Temple also houses the tomb of Date Masamune's birth mother, Hoshun-in (Yoshihime), on the northwest side of the main hall, suggesting that this temple, where his real mother rests, was a special place for Masamune

• Sect: Rinzai Zen Myoshinji School
• Mountain name: Toyama
• Principal deity: Shakyamuni Buddha
• Founded in 1586 (Tensho 14): Date Masamune
• Founder: Kosai Sōitsu

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Shifukuji Temple

Shifuku-ji Temple is the only one of the five temples of Kitayama that was not founded by the Date clan

It was founded by Nagai Tokihide, a powerful samurai during the mid-Kamakura period, and its original location was Natsukari, Yonezawa-go, Dewa Province (present-day Natsumo, Takahata-machi, Yamagata Prefecture)

The temple gained a reputation as a center of learning and was ranked as one of the "Ten Great Temples of the Kanto Region," but the Nagai clan, who founded it, were destroyed by the Date clan. However, the Date clan continued to patronize the temple, and during the Sengoku period, Date Terumune revived it by inviting Toraya Sōetsu, the founder of Kakuganji Temple, to become its head priest. It is also known that the young Date Masamune received his education there

Following Masamune's transfer to another domain, the shrine moved to Iwadeyama in present-day Osaki City, Miyagi Prefecture in 1591, and then to Sendai Yachikoji in Higashi Rokubancho, Sendai City in 1600. It was finally settled in its current location in 1638

Furthermore, this temple houses the tombs of Date Masamune, the ninth head of the Date clan and ancestor of Date Terumune, the sixteenth head of the clan, who shared the same name as Masamune, the founder of the Sendai domain. It is also now known as a famous spot for hydrangeas

• Sect: Rinzai Zen Myoshinji School
• Mountain name…Jiunzan
• Main deity... Holy Kannon
• Founded during the Kōan era (1278-1288): Nagai Tokihide
• Founder: Daikyu Shonen

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About Rinnoji Temple

The name "Kitayama Gozan" (Five Temples of Kitayama) gives the impression that all the temples are located on the Kitayama Hills, but in reality, only Manshoji Temple is located a little further away

Therefore, it is sometimes said that Rinnoji Temple, located to the west of Shifukuji Temple, is counted as one of the Five Mountains, but this is not entirely accurate

Rinnoji Temple was founded in 1441 by Date Mochimune, the eleventh head of the Date clan, in Yanagawa, Date County (present-day Date City, Fukushima Prefecture). After several relocations, it finally settled in its current location in 1602

Incidentally, Rinnoji Temple belongs to the Soto school of Zen Buddhism, which is different from the Kitayama Gozan schools, and its principal image is Shakyamuni Buddha

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