Genkū-ji
{{Infobox religious building
| name = Genkū-ji
| native_name = 源空寺
| image = Genku-ji (Taito-ku, Tokyo) 02.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Genkū-ji
| map_type = Japan Tokyo#Japan
| relief = 1
| location = 6-19-2 Higashiueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0015
| coordinates = {{coord|35|42|52.1|N|139|47|04.7|E|region:JP_type:event|display=title}}
| religious_affiliation = Buddhist
| rite = Jōdo-shū
| deity = Hōnen
| country = Japan
| functional_status = functional
| website =
| founded_by =
| year_completed = 1590
|footnotes= {{box|background=white|align=center|wide=yes|border size=3px|border color=brown|text align=center|National Historic Site of Japan}}
}}
{{nihongo|Genkū-ji|源空寺}}, is a Buddhist temple located in the Higashiueno neighborhood of Taitō-ku, Tokyo, Japan. The temple belongs to the Jōdo-shū sect of Japanese Buddhism and its honzon is a statue of Hōnen.
History
Genkū-ji was established as a small chapel in 1590 in Yushima (currently part of Bunkyō, Tokyo), approximately where the Yushima Seido is now located. In 1604, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu made a grant of land to allow a proper temple to be established. In 1657, much of Edo burned down in the Great fire of Meireki, including Genkū-ji. The temple was rebuilt, but was moved to its present location as part of the Tokugawa shogunate's urban remodeling plan for Edo. Its urban location resulted in the destruction of the temple during fires in the Genroku era (1688-1704), Anei era (1772-1781), the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and the Bombing of Tokyo (1945), but it was rebuilt each time. The temple's bonsho (bell) is dated 1636 and was a donation by Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.
The cemetery at Genku-ji contains the graves of a number of famous people:
- Inō Tadataka (1745 - 1818), surveyor and cartographer. The grave was designated a National Historic Site in 1928.{{cite web |url=https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/401/3240|title=伊能忠敬墓|trans-title= grave of Inō Tadataka|language=Japanese |publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs |accessdate=}}
- Takahashi Yoshitoki (1764 - 1804), astronomer. The grave was designated a National Historic Site in 1928.{{cite web |url= https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/401/3241|title=高橋至時墓|trans-title= grave of Takahashi Yoshitoki|language=Japanese |publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs |accessdate=}}
- Tani Bunchō (1763 - 1841), artist
- Banzuiin Chōbei (1622 - 1650), street tough
The temple is a two minute walk from Inaricho Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line.
See also
{{commons category|Genku-ji (Taito, Tokyo)}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://jodoshuzensho.jp/daijiten/index.php/源空寺 Jodo-shu online dictionary] {{in lang|ja}}
- [https://bunkazai.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/jp/search_detail.html?page=1&id=83 Tokyo Cultural properties Database] {{in lang|ja}}
Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1590
Category:16th-century Buddhist temples
Category:Buddhist temples in Tokyo
Category:Historic Sites of Japan