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Manpukuji

"All you who are practicing the Way
Pay heed: Birth and death are the one great matter.
Nothing is permanent; time moves quickly on.
Awake! Devote yourselves to your training and do not waste any time."
The Junshoban

Mampuku-ji (1661) is a temple built in the Chinese Ming style by Ingen (1592-1673), a Chinese priest and refugee from the fall of the Ming Dynasty in 1644. Its surroundings are the hills in Uji, south of Kyoto, where tea is grown. Ingen belonged to the Obaku sect of Zen, an eclectic branch with Amidist and Esoteric influences. Mampukuji, with its largely Chinese clergy, served as a center and conduit for Chinese culture in Tokugawa Japan, including steeped tea, sculpture, calligraphy, Confucianism, and literati painting.

This photo shows the outer gate (So-mon). The Chinese-style roof is crowned with dolphin finials, and two Chinese lanterns hang from the eaves. Mampukuji temple, near Obaku station on the Nara Line, was founded in 1661 by the Chinese monk Ingen as was built in the Ming-dynasty Chinese architectural style. Since the late 18th century, all abbots have been Japanese.

The Zen master Ingen is a high-ranking priest in the late Ming era in China, and his renown spread as far as to Japan. He was the chief priest at Obaku-san Zempukuji in Foochow, Fujian Province, China. In 1654 at the age of 65, by invitation he along with his disciples came to Japan. Highly respected by Tokugawa Shogunate and Go-mizunoo, an abdicated emperor who joined a Buddhist order, he was given 100,000 tsubo (81.68 acre) for temple construction in the present site. He established a Ming-dynasty-style Zen temple a la Chinese Obakusan, and named Obakusan Mampukuji after the Chinese original. The buildings orderly constructed in the precinct lined with age-old pine trees make a splendid appearance. A haiku poet named Kikusha* composed a famous haiku poem as a record her emotion on the occasion: "Passed through the temple gate/ Japan in front of me/ Tea picking song". In those days, not only construction of the temple but also indoctrination activities was made extensively, so that brilliant and talented people across the country gathered there and Obaku Zen enjoyed golden years. Their achievements can be found all over the country. To name a few: Zen priests like Tetsugan, who published woodblock print of Issai-kyo*, Ryo-oh, who founded Kangaku-ryo, the Japan's first public library, and Tetsugyu, who is well known for his commitment to reclamation project turning the Tsubaki Marsh into a rice field.

During period of Japan's rigid isolationism Zen priest Ingen came to the nation, accompanied by a large group of tailors and shoemakers, let alone artisans, sculptors, and many disciples of his. Thus Ingen's visit made great contribution also to our national culture, and played an important role in introducing Chinese culture such as calligraphy, painting, sculpture and architecture. Their calligraphy style is well known as Obaku School, and the painting laid the foundation of flourishing Nanga School. The revered Baicha (priest name: Gekkai Gensho), who developed sencha tea ceremony**, is another Obaku priest. Japan Sencha Tea Ceremony Association is now headquartered at Obakusan Mampukuji Temple. The Obaku sect has had a tremendous influence on every aspect of Japanese culture.

* Kikusha (1753-1826) devoted herself to haiku poems when she lost her husband at the age of 24. Four years later she shaved her head to become a nun, and went on pilgrimage. The poem was composed in the spring of 1788.

** This is another form of tea ceremony that uses sencha or green tealeaf. In what is called as tea ceremony, we serve tea made of pulverized tealeaf stirred in hot water.

www.obakusan.or.jp

Welcome to Obakusan Mampukuji. The head temple of the Obaku sect of Zen Buddhism, and the teaching monastery for the sect's student monks. Obaku is one of three Zen sects found in Japan, the other two being Rinzai, and Soto. Obaku has some 460 branch temples throughout Japan.

The founder of Mampukuji was a Chinese Zen master, Imgen (Chin Yin-yuan 1592-1673), who at the age of 29, entered a temple called Mampukuji (in Chinese Wan-fu-szu) on Mount Obaku (Chinese - Huang-po) in the Chinese province of Fujian, eventually becoming its superior. Having been invited to Japan, he arrived in Nagasaki in 1654. At that time Nagasaki was the only seaport in Japan where trading with China and Holland was allowed.

Master Ingen spread the Dharma, the true teaching of Rinzai, in Japan, attracting many Japanese monks who came and studied under him. The Japanese were particularly impressed by the new Chinese type of monastic life he introduced, characterized by among other things, a rigid and literal interpretation of the Buddhist precepts, and the sandankaie (triple platform) ordination ceremony, a superior ordination method new to Japan. Those whose respect he gained included the abbot of Myoshinji, Ryokei 1602-1670, who was to become a disciple, the retired emperor Gomizunoo (1596-1680) and the fourth shogun, Tokugawa Ietsuna (1641-1680).

In 1661, Master Ingen built a temple, Mampukuji on a hill he called Obakusan at Uji. The name was chosen to commerorate the Chinese temple of the same designation, and because of the number of Obaku (Japanese cork trees) found there. The tree was useful because it has medicinal properties (effective against abdominal diseases), and is used to dye paper and textiles yellow.

How to get to Uji

1: From Kyoto Station:

Take XX and get off at the XXX.

2: From Uji Station:

Take bus XX and get off at the XXX stop.

3: From Okazaki:

Take XXXXX... As of writing, the tickets cost XXXX yen one way and the journey takes about XXXX minutes not including the train change.

Tours - The Japan Discovery Tours visits the Mampuku-ji Temple/Obaku-Mampukuji Zen temple in Uji
Click here for more information regarding when Discovery visits this destination.

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