Gohotendo, Hall of the Guardians of the Buddhist Law 護法天堂案内看板

Official explanation

Constructed in the early seventeenth century, this hall was originally part of the private quarters of the abbot of Rinnoji, the monzeki. Since the monzeki was a member of the imperial family and also head of the Kan’eiji Temple in Tokyo and the Enryakuji Temple near Kyoto, he required a separate private place of worship, which purpose this hall served. In 1871, a fire broke out in the private quarters of the monzeki, which destroyed all of the buildings except for this hall and the Kuromon Gate.

Gohotendo originally enshrined the deities Bishamonten, Daikokuten, and Benzaiten, who are considered more approachable than the three principal deities of Rinnoji Temple—Senju Kannon, Amida Nyorai, and Bato Kannon respectively. These deities are members of a group of divinities known as the Gohoten, guardians who are said to protect Buddha’s law and disciples, hence the name of the hall.

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.