Jigen-do (Important Cultural Property) 慈眼堂（重文）

Official explanation

This was the memorial temple for the great monk Tenkai (1536–1643) who was posthumously given the honorary title of Jigen Daishi. Tenkai lived in the Nanko-bo temple on Mount Hiei and worked to restore Mount Hiei after it had been completely destroyed in 1571. He served as an advisor to three successive Tokugawa shoguns: Ieyasu, Hidetada, and Iemitsu. When Tenkai passed away at the age of 108, in 1643, the shogun Iemitsu (1604–1651) ordered this temple to be built in Tenkai’s memory. It enshrines a wooden image of Jigen Daishi in a sitting position.

On the western side of the Jigen-do is a memorial stupa honoring Emperor Kanmu built by Tenkai. It is surrounded by stone stupas in honor of Emperor Go-Yozei and Tosho Daigongen, the deified Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), who founded the Tokugawa shogunate (1603–1867). There are also stupas for Jigen Daishi, Emperor Go-Mizunoo (1596–1689), Nitta Yoshisada (1301–1338) who toppled the Kamakura shogunate (1185-1333), Murasaki Shikibu (978–1016), who wrote the Tale of Genji, the poetess Izumi Shikibu (976–1030), Sei Shonagon (966-1025) the author and poetess, and the graves of the post–Edo period Tendai abbots.

Read the full explanation

Jigen Daishi (Great Teacher with the eye of wisdom)

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.