Daihikaku Senko-ji official website
Thank you for coming.
About Daihikaku Senko-ji
Daihikaku Senko-ji is located about 1km upstream from Togetsukyo Bridge over Arashiyama in the west of Kyoto. Ryoi Suminokura, a wealthy merchant in the Edo period, moved Senko-ji from Saga'-Chuin Temple and built it in order to bury the people who died in the excavation work of the Oi River. The principal image of worship is Senju Kannon Bodhisattva, which is said to have been created by Genshin. The reception hall "Dahikaku" in the precincts is a Kannon-do hall built on the rock face of the Oi River, and you can see the superb view of Rankyo.
The Isewan Typhoon of 1959 partially destroyed both Daihikaku and Senko-ji. The restoration work of Daihikaku was completed in 2012, and now you can see its graceful appearance.
| Location: | #616-0004 62 Arashiyama Nakaoshita-cho, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Tel: | +81-75-861-2913 |
| Denomination: | Zen Buddhism Rinzai、Tanritu Temple |
| honorific mountain: | Arashiyam |
Osho no Hiyori (Blog)
Today's Daihikaku
We will tell you about the recent situation of Daihikaku Senko-ji taken by a priest.
January 28, 2023
You can see autumn leaves and various forms.
New Year's Day 2023
I wish you all the best in the new year.
This year too, many worshipers rang the bells on New Year's Eve.
Senkoji Bell Tower
Map
Daihikaku Senko-ji is located about 1km upstream of Togetsukyo Bridge in Arashiyama, Kyoto.
History of Senko-ji
About 1km upstream on the right bank of the Oi River from Arashiyama Togetsukyo Bridge, you can see the stone steps leading up to Daihikaku Senko-ji. And if you climb the stone steps, you will reach Senko-ji located halfway up Arashiyama. If you pass through the mountain gate and go up the side of the bell tower, you will reach the observatory. The mountain name is Arashiyama, and the temple name is Daihikaku Senkoji. Initially, it belonged to the Tendai sect, and after Bunka 5, it became the Obaku sect, and the principal image is the Senju Kannon, which is said to have been created by Eshin Sozu.
Long ago, Senko-ji Temple was located in Seiryo-ji Temple's Seiho-middle temple, and was a place of prayer for Emperor Gosaga, but it has long since declined. In 1606 (Keicho 11), Ryoi Suminokura, who succeeded in excavating the Hozu River, moved it to its current location in 1606. I opened the mountain.
Ryoi followed the Tendai sect, but when his descendant Gennei Suminokura revived the temple in 1808, the temple became the Obaku sect.
A statue of Ryoi was once enshrined in one of the rooms of Daihikaku. It was in the shape of sitting on a circular seat (wood carving) with a huge rope wrapped around it, holding a stone ax and kneeling to the right, looking out over the Hozu River. It is said that Ryoi himself lived in Daihikaku and prayed for the benefits of the excavated Morokawa ferry.
During the Meiji Restoration, the temple lost much of its precincts, forests, treasures, etc., except for Daihikaku. However, the damage caused by the Isewan Typhoon in September 1959 was severe, and the main hall of Senko-ji was dismantled in 1978, the roof of Daihikaku collapsed, and the building itself was severely distorted. The principal image, Senju Kannon Bodhisattva, was enshrined in the Buddha Hall that was built later, but unfortunately the monument praising Ryoi was damaged during the dismantling and the upper left part was missing.
Afterwards, Daihikaku was reinforced with wires, and the main hall became a temporary main hall.
From January 2012, the dismantling and repair of Daihikaku began, and the repair was completed in October of the same year.