Hyakumanben Chion-ji Temple

Overview

Hyakumanben Chion-ji is a head temple (daihonzan) of the Jodo (Pure Land) school in Tanaka Monzen-cho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto. Its mountain name is Chotokuzan and its principal image is Shakyamuni Buddha. Once known simply as Chion-ji, its formal name as a religious corporation is now Hyakumanben Chion-ji. It is one of Kyoto's four Jodo-school head temples and the 22nd site on the pilgrimage of the Twenty-Five Sacred Sites of Honen Shonin. Famed for the Hyakumanben nenju-kuri, in which a giant rosary is passed hand to hand while chanting, this venerable temple is so rooted in the area that Hyakumanben is also the name of a nearby intersection and neighborhood.

Highlights

• ●A dignified head temple of the Jodo school, mountain name Chotokuzan
• ●Grounds preserving items designated Important Cultural Property
• ●The nenbutsu tradition known for the Hyakumanben rosary rite
• ●A pilgrimage site as the 22nd of the Twenty-Five Sacred Sites of Honen Shonin

History

The name Hyakumanben (one million recitations) is said to derive from an episode in which the nenbutsu was chanted continuously during an epidemic, and the title tied to that act took hold as the temple's popular name. As a head temple of the Jodo school it has upheld its teaching, welcoming many pilgrims as the 22nd site of the Twenty-Five Sacred Sites of Honen Shonin. The grounds preserve items designated as Important Cultural Property, and through its long history the temple has stood as one of the centers of Pure Land faith in Kyoto. For a fuller account of its history, on-site explanations or official sources are recommended.

Map

35.0303, 135.7808 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Enter the grounds through the gate beside the Hyakumanben intersection
2. 2Pay respects at the main hall to the principal image, Shakyamuni Buddha
3. 3Tour the halls and cultural properties to learn the Jodo school's history
4. 4Extend your walk to the surrounding Sakyo Ward and its university-town air

Did you know?

💡 The popular name Hyakumanben is said to stem from the tale of chanting the nenbutsu one million times in prayer for the end of an epidemic, and it later spread as the name of a nearby intersection and district. The Hyakumanben nenju-kuri, in which a large group passes a giant rosary in a circle, endures as an event emblematic of this temple.

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