Zenkoji

Zenkōji (善光寺) is a 7th century Buddhist temple in Nagano City, Japan. The city, established in 1897, was once a town built around the temple. Zenkoji is perhaps most famous for its involvement in the battles between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen in the 16th century, when it served as one of Kenshin's bases of operations.

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Zenkoji belongs to both the Tendai and Jodo Shinshu schools of Buddhism, and is co-managed by 25 priests from the former School and 14 from the latter. It enshrines images of the Amida Buddha, the primary one of which is a hibutsu, a hidden Buddha, which is not normally shown to the public. This hibutsu is rumored to be the first Buddha statue to ever be brought ot Japan. There is also a passage under the temple where worshippers, in complete darkness, try to touch a key hanging on the wall in order to gain enlightenment. The key represents the Key to the Western Paradise of the Amida Buddha.

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The hidden Buddha statue, or hibutsu, is shown once every six or seven years, and attracts many worshippers. The last time it was on display, in 2003, Zenkoji joined with Motozenkoji and the Zenkoji of Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, in discussions. The hibutsu will be on display next in 2010.

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Japan: For other uses, see Japan (disambiguation)....