Ippoin Temple is another gem I found while cycling around Hamura. It was founded in 1424 by Mita Utanosuke Taira no Masasada (三田雅楽之助平将定等), whose grave lies nearby, in the vicinity of Aso Bicycle Shrine.
Ippoin Temple (一峰院), officially known as Ryūshuzan Ippoin (龍珠山一峰院), belongs to the Kenchōji branch of the Rinzai school. Rinzai is one of three Zen sects in Japanese Buddhism.
The temple was founded by Gyokuei Kentō (玉英賢韜) under the sponsorship of said Mita Utanosuke Taira no Masasada. Kentō was transferred from Kinzan Kōzanji Temple in modern-day Shimonoseki.
Ippoin was destroyed by fire in 1759 and rebuilt in 1766.
The Shōrōmon (鐘楼門) is a gate with a belfry that faces south. It consists of two studs and three doors. The roof was reed-thatched initially but is now tiled in a traditional style called irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造). The present gate was constructed in 1819 by a carpenter named Kobayashi Toma (小林藤馬), who lived in Kinoshita Village (now part of Ōme City). Toma was skilled in constructing temples and shrines and left his mark on Hamura and its environs.
The gate is held in the Rōmon style, which features a mid-level balcony in place of eaves and a belfry to denote its function as the "main gate" of the temple. The bell is suspended on the ceiling of the second floor. The second floor has a higher ceiling than the second floor of other temple gates, and there is no wallboard.
The gate's three doors are other unique features, although it has only two front studs. The studs are used for support. The gate, therefore, combines both traditional Japanese styles and those of Zen Buddhism.
The main hall (本堂 Hondō) of Ippoin
The mountain name of Ippoin, from right to left Ryūshuzan (龍珠山)
The main image of worship is an Eleven-faced Kannon statue, as well as a Fudō Myōō (不動明王) statue. Other treasures include an edition of the 'Rules of Priesthood' from 1744, written by the priest Daikyū Ebō (大休慧昉, 1715-1774), a practitioner of Kinzai-Rinzaizen, and 600 volumes of the Daihan'nyakyō sutras (大般若経, "The Great Perfection of Wisdom").
Hanzōbō Daigongen (半僧坊大権現)
In front of the Shōrōmon lies a small monument dedicated to peace and friendship between China, Japan, and Korea with a Kannon statue (日中韓三国平和友好観世音菩薩像, "Japan, China and Korea Peace and Friendship Kannon Statue"). The 35th abbot of Ippoin, Iyama Yufu (岱山雄風), travelled through China and Korea and erected this monument to commemorate the souls of the war dead and to lay the foundation for lasting peace among the three countries.
Tamagawa Aqueduct (玉川上水 Tamagawa Jōsui)
The bronze statue of the Tamagawa brothers (玉川兄弟)
Ippoin Temple (一峰院), officially known as Ryūshuzan Ippoin (龍珠山一峰院), belongs to the Kenchōji branch of the Rinzai school. Rinzai is one of three Zen sects in Japanese Buddhism.
The temple was founded by Gyokuei Kentō (玉英賢韜) under the sponsorship of said Mita Utanosuke Taira no Masasada. Kentō was transferred from Kinzan Kōzanji Temple in modern-day Shimonoseki.
Ippoin was destroyed by fire in 1759 and rebuilt in 1766.
The Shōrōmon (鐘楼門) is a gate with a belfry that faces south. It consists of two studs and three doors. The roof was reed-thatched initially but is now tiled in a traditional style called irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造). The present gate was constructed in 1819 by a carpenter named Kobayashi Toma (小林藤馬), who lived in Kinoshita Village (now part of Ōme City). Toma was skilled in constructing temples and shrines and left his mark on Hamura and its environs.
The gate is held in the Rōmon style, which features a mid-level balcony in place of eaves and a belfry to denote its function as the "main gate" of the temple. The bell is suspended on the ceiling of the second floor. The second floor has a higher ceiling than the second floor of other temple gates, and there is no wallboard.
The gate's three doors are other unique features, although it has only two front studs. The studs are used for support. The gate, therefore, combines both traditional Japanese styles and those of Zen Buddhism.
The main hall (本堂 Hondō) of Ippoin
The mountain name of Ippoin, from right to left Ryūshuzan (龍珠山)
The main image of worship is an Eleven-faced Kannon statue, as well as a Fudō Myōō (不動明王) statue. Other treasures include an edition of the 'Rules of Priesthood' from 1744, written by the priest Daikyū Ebō (大休慧昉, 1715-1774), a practitioner of Kinzai-Rinzaizen, and 600 volumes of the Daihan'nyakyō sutras (大般若経, "The Great Perfection of Wisdom").
Hanzōbō Daigongen (半僧坊大権現)
In front of the Shōrōmon lies a small monument dedicated to peace and friendship between China, Japan, and Korea with a Kannon statue (日中韓三国平和友好観世音菩薩像, "Japan, China and Korea Peace and Friendship Kannon Statue"). The 35th abbot of Ippoin, Iyama Yufu (岱山雄風), travelled through China and Korea and erected this monument to commemorate the souls of the war dead and to lay the foundation for lasting peace among the three countries.
Nearby sights:
Tamagawa Aqueduct (玉川上水 Tamagawa Jōsui)
The bronze statue of the Tamagawa brothers (玉川兄弟)
Location:
- 4-12-30 Hanekami, Hamura, Tōkyō 205-0016
- Closest station: JR Hamura Station (Ōme Line), a 20-minute walk to Ippoin Temple (~1.5 kilometres).
