Kangi-in

Kangi-in (歓喜院) is a Buddhist temple in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It was founded in 1179 and is affiliated with the Kōyasan Shingon-shū sect of Buddhism. The temple's Shōden Hall (聖天堂, shōden-dō) was designated as a Japanese National Treasure in 1984.[1] It is the only building in Saitama to have been designated as a national treasure.[2]

Shōden-dō hall of Kangi-in temple (Menuma Shōden) in Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture

History

The temple is said to have been built in 1179 by Saito Sanemori, a military leader under Minamoto no Yoshitomo who later fought for the Taira clan in the Genpei War. He enshrined an image of the god Kangiten (also known as Shōten or Shōden) in the hall that became Kangi-in. When Saito was killed in the Genpei War, his second son, Sanenaga founded Kangi-in as a temple to oversee the hall where his father had placed the image. The hall is open for public worship and there is a separate hall used for the religious instruction of priests.

Shōden Hall was built in the Gongen style with an inner, middle, and exterior hall for worship. After a fire destroyed an earlier structure in 1670, master carpenter Hayashi Masakiyo began work on the three halls in 1735, and his son completed the project in 1760.[3]

There are three gates leading to Kangi-in. The first gate, Kisōmon, was built in 1851 by a local craftsman, Hayashi Masamichi.

Present day

In 2010, the Agency for Cultural Affairs renovated the temple at the cost of 1.3 billion yen.[4]

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kangiin, Kumagaya.

References
  1. MATCHA. "The Gorgeous Menuma Shoden-zan Temple - Saitama's Nikko Toshogu Shrine!?". MATCHA - JAPAN TRAVEL WEB MAGAZINE. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  2. "Sensational Saitama: How To Enjoy This Scenic Prefecture". Clozette. Retrieved 2022-07-09.
  3. Watanabe, Hiroshi (2001). The Architecture of Tokyo: An Architectural History in 571 Individual Presentations. Edition Axel Menges. p. 53. ISBN 978-3-930698-93-6.
  4. 智道, 奥崎; 彰, 藤澤; 優, 田束 (2016). "上新田（埼玉県熊谷市）の諏訪神社本殿の建立年代の再検討と職人の作風について". 日本建築学会技術報告集. 22 (51): 771–776. doi:10.3130/aijt.22.771.

36.2282°N 139.3747°E / 36.2282; 139.3747


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