Provincial temple

Mutsu Kokubunji —Yakushido

Kokubun-ji (国分寺) were Buddhist temples established in each of the provinces of Japan by Emperor Shōmu during the Nara period (710 – 794).^[1]

History

Shōmu (701 – 756?) decreed both a kokubun-ji for monks and a kokubunni-ji (国分尼寺) for nuns to be established in each province. Tōdai-ji, the provincial temple of Yamato Province, served as the head of all kokubun-ji, and Hokke-ji held that duty for the kokubunni-ji.

Modern place names

Modern place names based on this etymology include:

Kokubunji, Kagawa
Kokubunji, Tokyo
Kokubunji, Tochigi

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kokubunji.

735–737 Japanese smallpox epidemic
Fuchū
Glossary of Japanese Buddhism
Ichinomiya (primary shrines of the province)
Soja shrine (shrines that consolidated the deity for every province)

References

^ "Kokubunji". Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Shogakukan. 2012. Archived from the original on 2007-08-25. Retrieved 2012-05-04.

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