Kenchoji Temple

JAPAN, Kanagawa, Kamakura

Kenchoji is the first temple of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism and the head temple of the Kencho branch. It is foremost among Kamakura’s Five Major Temples. Chan Master Lanxi Daolong arrived in Japan from China in 1246 during the Kamakura period, and founded the temple at the request of Hojo Tokiyori, the Fifth Kamakura Shogunate. It was completed in 1248 and named after the era in which it was built. It was neglected during the late Muromachi period (1392–1573). During the Edo period (1615–1868), it continued to develop with the support of the Tokugawa family.
The main structures of the temple include the outer gate, main temple gate, Buddha Hall, and Dharma Hall, which lie along the central axis. Additionally, there are the Chinese gate, founder’s hall, abbot’s quarters, worship hall, meditation hall, main hall, bell tower, kitchen, and ten funerary stupas.
The two-story temple gate was reconstructed in 1775 during the Edo period. The roof is covered with cylindrical tiles. There are two sets of eaves and there is a curved bargeboard in the center of the upper eaves. The first story is open with no walls. The second story is surrounded by low balustrades. A crowned Sakyamuni Buddha statue and bronze statues of Five Hundred Arhats are enshrined on the second story.
The Buddha Hall was relocated from Zojoji Temple in 1647 during the Edo period. Statues of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and Sangharama are enshrined within the hall. There are also seven ancient cypress trees planted by Master Lanxi Daolong in front of the hall. The trees have diameters of nearly 7 m and have been there throughout the temple’s history. The five-by-five bay worship hall, built around 1635 during the Edo period, has a single-eave hip roof covered with thatch.
The temple houses a statue of Master Lanxi Daolong and his calligraphy, as well as a bell he cast, all of which have been listed as National Treasures. There is also a garden designed by the National Master Muso Soseki.