Meigetsu-in


Fugenzan Meigetsu-in is a Rinzai Zen temple of the Kenchō-ji school in Kita-Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan. It is also known as The Temple of Hydrangeas. The main object of worship is goddess Shō Kannon.
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History

Meigetsu-in was built by Uesugi Norikata of the powerful Uesugi clan, and the name itself derives from Norikata's own posthumous name. According to 350-year-old records it was originally just the guest rooms of a much bigger temple called Zenkō-ji which was closed by the government during the Meiji period. Zenkō-ji was a temple of considerable prestige, being one of the Rinzai Zen temples classified as Five Mountain System#The Jissetsu, which were second in importance only to Kamakura's so-called Five Mountains that followed the Meiji Restoration. Meigetsu-in is the owner of a 13th century statue of Uesugi Shigefusa, founder of the Uesugi clan. He is dressed in the picturesque clothes of the dignitaries of the Kamakura period. The statue is a National Treasure.

Points of interest

  • The temple's garden contains one of the celebrated Ten Wells of Kamakura, the 2=瓶の井
  • The karesansui, a garden of raked sand, rocks and plants representing legendary Buddhist Mount Shumi.
  • The yagura cave dug on the side of a hill is the largest in Kamakura. The small tower at its center is thought to be Norikata's tomb
  • Hōjō Tokiyori's grave
  • The hydrangeas in the garden. The flowers are apparently just a recent addition. They were reportedly chosen because of the ease with which they grow.

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