| Ryūsen-ji | |
|---|---|
瀧泉寺 | |
 Ryūsen-ji Hondō | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Deity | Fudō-myōō |
| Rite | Tendai |
| Status | active |
| Location | |
| Location | 3-20-26 Shimomeguro, Meguro, Tokyo 153-0064 |
| Country | Japan |
  Shown within Tokyo Show map of Tokyo Ryūsen-ji (Japan) Show map of Japan | |
| Geographic coordinates | 35°37′43″N139°42′29″E / 35.62861°N 139.70806°E /35.62861; 139.70806 |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | Ennin (?) |
| Completed | 808 AD (?) |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Ryūsenji (瀧泉寺) also known as theMeguro Fudō (目黒不動,Black-eyed Fudō)[1] is aBuddhist temple located inMeguro,Tokyo,Japan.[2] The temple currently belongs to theTendai school ofJapanese Buddhism, and itsmain image is ahibutsu statue ofFudō-myōō. The temple is 18th of theKantō Sanjūroku Fudō pilgrimage route of 36 temples in theKantō region dedicated to Fudō-myōō.
According to the temple legend, Ryūsen-ji was built in 808 byEnnin to enshrine a statue of Fudō-myōō, while he was on a journey fromShimotsuke province toMount Hiei. It is one of many temples in eastern Japan whose histories are uncertain or unknown, which have the tradition that they were founded by Ennin. It is unclear what veracity, if any, these legends have. The temple does date to the earlyHeian period, as written records from the year 860 indicate thatEmperor Seiwa authorized a change in the temple'smountain name to "Taeisan". However, the temple disappears from the historical record for many centuries, reappearing only in the earlyEdo period.
In 1615, the main hall was destroyed by a fire. In 1630, it became a subsidiary temple ofKanei-ji, and was one of the temples restored and enlarged byTenkai with the patronage ofShogunTokugawa Iemitsu. The name of the surrounding district of "Meguro" derives its name from Ryūsen-ji's black-eyed statue of Fudō-myōō, one of five protective Fudō-myōō statues placed at strategic points on the outskirts ofEdo, the capital of the Tokugawa shogunate.[3] Each statue had eyes of a different color. (Another Tokyo ward,Mejiro is named for the white-eyed Fudō-myōō). During the Edo period, the temple was famous as the location of a lottery. It was also popularly believed that bathing in the springs or waterfall at the temple would cure illness, and the temple was thus depicted in theEdo meisho zue and other guidebooks as one of the major sightseeing spots ofEdo.[4] The temple town which developed surrounding the temple was noted for bamboo products, and for dishes either containing bamboo shoots or in the shape of bamboo, the plant having been introduced to Edo as a commercial crop by theShimazu clan ofSatsuma Domain in the mid-Edo period.
Ryūsen-ji is famed as the burial place of the romantic coupleHirai Gonpachi (平井権八) and Komurasaki (小紫), whose story was told in numerousKabuki plays and inA.B. Mitford'sTales of Old Japan.[5] The temple is also an important site for the friendship between Filipino national heroJose Rizal and Seiko Usui (Osei-san), a daughter of a samurai.[6]
Much of the temple was destroyed in a fire in May 1978, and thus most of its current structures are modern.
One of the few Edo period structures in the temple to have survived the 1978 fire is the Seishi-dō chapel. Built in the mid-Edo period, it is a DesignatedTangible Cultural Property of Meguro Ward. In the vicinity of this temple is a memorial monument to the composerNagayo Motoori and another to the pre-war political philosopherIkki Kita, whose grave is also at the temple. The cemetery of this chapel also has the grave ofAoki Konyō (1698-1769) was aConfucian scholar in the middle of the Edo period remembered as the person who popularized the cultivation ofsweet potatoes in Japan. The tomb is a simple stone monument with the words "Konyo-sensei's tomb" engraved on it, and is said to have been erected by Konyō in his lifetime. It was designated aNational Historic Site in 1943.[7][8]
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