Sefuku-ji


[file:NDL-DC 1313514-Utagawa Kunisada and Hiroshige-観音霊験記 西国巡礼第四和泉槙尾寺 光明皇后-crd.jpg|right|thumb|from the picture album "Kannon Reigen ki"]
Sefuku-ji is a Buddhist temple located in the Makiosan, neighborhood of the city of Izumi, Osaka Prefecture Japan. It belongs to the Tendai sect of Japanese Buddhism and its honzon is a statue of Miroku Bosatsu.The temple's full name is Makio-san Sefuku-ji. The temple is the 4th stop on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage route. The main image of Miroku Bosatsu is flanked by a Jūichimen Kannon Bosatsu to the right and a Monjū Bosatsu to the left. It is also commonly known as "Makio-dera."
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Overview

The origin of this temple is uncertain. Formerly known as Makiosan-ji, is believed to have been founded as a temple connected with the Mount Katsuragi Shugendō mountain worship practices. According to the Makio-san Daiengi, a temple history compiled during the Nanboku-chō period, Sefuku-ji was founded by the monk Gyōman of Kako County, Harima Province, during the reign of Emperor Kinmei. According to legend, in 771, a shabbily dressed monk appeared before Hōkai, a monk from Settsu Province who was residing at Makiosan-ji at the time, and asked to stay at the temple during his summer retreat. He was accepted as a guest monk, and devoted himself to his training. When leaving the temple after his scheduled stay, he asked for money for his return journey, but the temple monks refused. The guest monk then became enraged and yelled, "What a shame! This temple may look impressive, but there are no true monks here. A temple like this will eventually perish and become a den of evil spirits." Astonished, Hōkai followed him and found the monk walking unsinkingly across the ocean in the distance. Upon seeing this, Hōkai realized that the monk was an incarnation of Kannon who had appeared to admonish them, so he carved a statue of the Jūichimen Kannon and enshrined it. The legend further embellishes the story with stories related to En no Gyōja, Gyōki, and Kūkai The legend states that En no Gyōja buried the volumes of the Lotus Sutra he had personally copied in secret locations throughout Mount Katsuragi, and that the last one to be buried was on this mountain. It also states that Kūkai, at the age of 20, was tonsured at this temple in 793. While there are no historical documents suggesting he was tonsured at this location, it is likely that he may have stayed at the temple around 809 en route to Heian-kyō during his return trip from Tang China. According to the Engi, the Sefuku-ji was designated a Jogaku-ji temple in 916, but as the historical records of Sefuku-ji have been lost over the centuries due to repeated fires, even this cannot be verified, but it is clear that this was a prominent temple by the first half of the 9th century. The subsequent history of the temple also has many gaps. It is known that Emperor Go-Shirakawa donated a Lotus Sutra and a Buddhist statue during the Shōka era. During the Ninji era, a Kanjō-dō was built by Gyōhen, a monk from Ninna-ji, Sefuku-ji became one of the bases for the Southern Court. As a result, the temple was frequently caught up in wars and fell into decline. In 1581, the entire temple was burned down by Oda Nobunaga. However, with the assistance of Toyotomi Hideyori, the temple's buildings, including the Niōmon Gate, were rebuilt in 1603. During the Edo period, the temple gained the support of the Tokugawa shogunate, and converted from Shingon to the Tendai sect around the Kan'ei era and became a branch temple of Kan'ei-ji in Edo. In 1845, a forest fire destroyed all but the Niōmon Gate. The Main Hall was rebuilt during the Ansei era.
The temple is approximately a 20-minute walk from Tofukuji Station on either the JR West Nara Line or the Keihan Railway.

Cultural Properties

National Important Cultural Properties

Osaka Prefecture Designated Tangible Cultural Properties

  • Wooden Statues of Fudō-Myōō and Two Doji, Heian-Kamakura period; now at Izumi-no-kuni History Museum
  • Sefuku-ji Pilgrimage Mandala, Muromachi period; now at Kyoto National Museum

Izumi City Designated Tangible Cultural Properties

  • Wooden Standing Statue of Jizō Bosatsu, Heian period; now at Izumi-no-kuni History Museum
  • Wooden Standing Statue of Senjū Kannon, Kamakura period; now at Izumi-no-kuni History Museum
  • Wooden Standing Statue of Jizō Bosatsu, Kamakura period; now at Izumi-no-kuni History Museum
  • Wooden Standing Statue of Ryōgen, Kamakura period; now at Izumi-no-kuni History Museum
  • Wooden Seated Statue of Dainichi Nyorai, Heian period; now at Izumi-no-kuni History Museum
  • Peony arabesque three-legged incense burner, Yuan China; now at Izumi-no-kuni History Museum
  • Paulownia snow-holding bamboo patterned kosode , Azuchi-Momoyama period; now at Izumi-no-kuni History Museum