Honjuzanji Shoji Honjuyama Jishoji Temple
Jishinin lived by faith amidst the ban on Christianity
A huge ginkgo tree can be seen along National Route 206 in Kotoumitone Town. This is Jishoji, a historic temple of the Nichiren sect. As you pass through the quaint Sanmon gate, you will see a torii gate on your right, a scene reminiscent of temples and shrines before the Meiji era, when the ordinance for separating Shinto and Buddhism was issued.
Jishoji Temple was built in 1658 by Yasumasa Asada, a chief retainer of the Omura clan, to mourn the memory of his grandmother, Jishoin. This temple was founded by ``Oina'', the eldest daughter of Japan's first Christian daimyo, Sumitada Omura.Oina is also a Christian and her baptismal name is ``Donna Mariina.''
Marina Ina married Sumimori Asada, a vassal and a devoted Christian, but when the oppression of Christians became severe, she built a hermitage pretending to be a Nichiren sect in Tone, which was a territory of the Omura clan. There she hid missionaries, secretly carried out missionary work, and lived her Christian faith until the end of her life in 1639, the year after the Shimabara Rebellion. In her historical graveyard, there is her grave at Jise-in Temple.
There is a Suitoku Purifying Bodhisattva in the temple grounds, and there is a legend that if you pour water over your head to purify yourself and then rub the same areas on your body as the bad parts, you will be healed.
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Basic Information
Address | 1096 Kotoumitonemachi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture |
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Telephone number | 095-884-2005 |
Transportation access | ・Bus: Take the Nagasaki bus (Okushi, Nagaura, Kameura) bound for approximately 1 hour from the "Nagasaki Ekimae" bus stop, then get off at the "Jishojimae" bus stop. ・Car: About 45 minutes from JR Nagasaki Station |