相国寺　（しょうこくじ） 　　Shokokuji Temple 　　 5.MAY.2005 天空仙人の神社仏閣めぐり

足利三代将軍義満が、後小松天皇の勅命をうけ、約十年の歳月を費やし て明徳三年(１３９２)に完成した一大禅苑で、夢窓国師を勧請開山とし、五 山の上位に列せられる。その後応仁の乱の兵火により諸堂宇は灰燼に帰 したが、度重なる災禍にもかかわらず当山は禅宗行政の中心地として多 くの高僧を輩出し、室町時代の禅文化の興隆に貢献した。

後に豊臣氏の外護を受けて、慶長十年(１６０５)豊臣秀頼が現在の法堂を建立し、慶長十 四年には徳川家康も三門を寄進した。他の堂塔も再建したが天明八年 (１７８８)の大火で法堂・浴室・塔頭九院のほかは焼失。

文化四年(１８０７)に至って、桃園天皇皇后恭礼門院旧殿の下賜を受けて開山塔として建立され、方丈・庫裏も完備されて漸く壮大な旧観を復するに至った。

現在は金閣・銀閣両寺をはじめ九十余カ寺を数える末寺を擁する臨済宗相国寺 派の大本山である。

法堂(重文)は桃山時代の遺構でわが国最古の法堂、一重裳階付入母屋造 りの唐様建築で本尊釈迦如来および脇侍は運慶作。天丼の蟠龍図は狩野 光信(永徳嫡子)筆。

法堂北の方丈は勝れた襖絵を有し、裏庭は京都市指 定名勝となっている。開山塔内には開山夢窓国師を安置。開山塔庭園は山 水の庭と枯山水平庭が連繁する独特の作庭である。

---

Shokokuji Temple is one of seven Rinzai Zen Headquarter Temples in Kyoto. There are at present over 100sub-temples under its administration, including the lovely Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji here in Kyoto Construction of the seven great buildings of this headquarters compound was begun by the Shogun Yoshimitsu Ashikaga in 1383, at the imperial order of Emperor Gokomatsu The Shogun wanted to build a great temple near the eastern side of "Hana no Gosho", his residence, and he conferred with several eminent priests on the details of its design In 1392, construction was completed and Soseki Muso Kokushi was appointed honorary first Chief Abbot of Shokoku-ji.

For a time, many talented men received their Zen training here, and as a literary center Shokoku-ji promoted scholarship in Zen of the Muromachi Period,Then during the Onin Rebellion of 1467-1477, virtually every building in the compound was reduced to ashes With the assistance of Hideyori Toyotomi, the present Hatto (Dharma Hall) was rebuilt in i605, and leyasu Tokugawa subsequently donated a new Sammon (Main Gate) But in 1788, the "Great Fire of Tenmei" burned everything to the ground except the Hatto. Because of this fire, today Shokoku-ji has no Butsuden (Buddha Hall) or Sammon. The other burned buildings were reconstructed in 1807 with parts of an old palace from the Gosho (the residence of His Majesty the Emperor).