Hoenji Temple

Hoenji Temple

Hoenji Temple (宝円寺, also written Hōen-ji) in Takaramachi, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, is a Soto Zen temple founded in 1583 by Maeda Toshiie, first lord of the Kaga domain, as the family temple of the Maeda; its main hall of about 1872, priests' quarters of about 1927 and main gate with tsuiji walls of about 1899 were each registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 13, 2012 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Its mountain name is Gokokuzan, and the principal image is Shakyamuni Buddha.

The story starts in Echizen Fuchū, today's Echizen City in Fukui Prefecture, where the young Toshiie became devoted to Daitō Keijo, the priest of a temple there also called Hoenji. When Toshiie moved to Tokoroguchi in Noto (now Nanao) in 1581, he invited Daitō to found a temple of the same name. Two years later, as the new lord of Kanazawa Castle, he called on him again and founded Gokokuzan Hoenji in Kanazawa; the Nanao temple was later renamed Chōreiji (Hoenji preservation society; Soto Zen Ishikawa Prefecture Office).

According to the temple, Toshiie died in Osaka in 1599 and, as he had asked, his funeral was held at Hoenji. The temple kept the memorial tablets of the ruling family and served as the head of the domain's Soto Zen temples (Kanazawa City Tourism Association; Hoenji preservation society).

From the Castle Gate to Kodatsuno

The Soto Zen Ishikawa Prefecture Office records that the first Hoenji stood where Kenrokuen Garden is now, facing the Ishikawa Gate of Kanazawa Castle. In 1620, under the third lord Maeda Toshitsune, it was given a new site of 11,600 tsubo on the Kodatsuno plateau.

From around 1616, Toshitsune gathered the temples scattered through the castle town into three districts. Hoenji belongs to the Kodatsuno temple district, strung along Ishibiki-no-michi, the road once used to haul stone from Mount Tomuro for the castle walls (Kanazawa City Tourism Association).

The buildings have been rebuilt more than once. The temple's history says the fifth lord Maeda Tsunanori rebuilt the main hall, guest hall, priests' quarters and gate in 1669, adding a new front gate at the Umazaka approach. A great fire in 1759 burned the temple, which was restored by 1762, and on the 28th day of the second month of 1868 a fire that started inside the temple destroyed every building (Hoenji preservation society). All three registered structures date from after that fire.

The Layout of the Precinct

The main gate and its flanking walls stand at the entrance; the main hall sits at the back, facing southeast, with the priests' quarters to its east (Agency for Cultural Affairs). All three were registered for their contribution to the historic landscape, under consecutive numbers 17-0242 to 17-0244. The Ishikawa Prefectural Board of Education described the group as a standard Soto Zen main hall, a large priests' quarters with a traditional ground floor and spacious reception rooms upstairs, and a gate and walls with unusual ornament.

Behind the main hall lies a cemetery linked to the Maeda family. The temple notes that after the family turned to Shinto funerals in the Meiji era, torii gates were set in front of the earth-mound graves, an unusual sight. The same grounds hold the Goeidō and Gohatsudō, small halls said to contain Toshiie's self-portrait and a lock of his hair, and a grave identified as that of the painter Tawaraya Sōtatsu (Kanazawa City Tourism Association; Hoenji preservation society). A moss garden runs along the main hall.

Each building has its own page describing its structure and details.

Annual Events

Memorial services followed by tea gatherings are held on April 13 for the founding priest Daitō Keijo and for Toshiie, on September 15 for Tawaraya Sōtatsu, and on September 23 for Maeda Nariyasu, the 13th lord. On January 18 and August 10 the eleven-headed Kannon is shown to the public (Hoenji preservation society; Soto Zen Ishikawa Prefecture Office). Hoenji is also stop 13 on the Hokuriku pilgrimage of 33 Kannon temples.

The Soto Zen Ishikawa Prefecture Office mentions a tea room named Taiseiken after one of Sōtatsu's art names. The temple offers Zen experiences such as seated meditation and tea, with an English-language guide (Hoenji preservation society; Kanazawa City Tourism Association).

Visiting Hoenji Temple

The temple's visitor information gives opening hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and an admission fee of 500 yen, and asks groups to call ahead if possible. The Kanazawa City Tourism Association notes that the grounds are free and the building interiors are open for the fee. Groups of three or more who want a goshuin temple stamp should contact the temple in advance.

From stop No. 12 at the East Exit bus terminal of JR Kanazawa Station, take a Hokuriku Railroad bus bound for Yuwaku Onsen (any service marked as running via Kodatsuno), ride about 13 minutes to Ishibiki-cho, and walk 7 to 8 minutes. The Kanazawa Flat Bus Kikugawa route stops at Naka-Ishibiki, about 7 minutes away on foot (Hoenji preservation society; Kanazawa City Tourism Association). The neighbourhood is hilly, and old slope names such as Umazaka and Kisozaka survive around the temple.

The temple's telephone number is 076-231-6050, and its website lists events and services.