Yoshizaki-go-bō Temple

Overview

Yoshizaki-gobō (吉崎御坊, よしざきごぼう) was a Buddhist temple in the Yoshizaki neighbourhood of Awara, in Fukui Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast. It was founded in 1471, in the third year of the Bunmei era (文明, ぶんめい), during the Muromachi period (1336–1573). The temple is chiefly remembered for its association with Rennyo, the figure who shaped the Ikkō sect of Japanese Buddhism, and its ruins were designated a National Historic Site in 2012.

History

Yoshizaki-gobō was established in 1471, the third year of Bunmei, in what is now Awara. Its founding is bound up with Rennyo, the leader associated with the Ikkō sect — a tradition of Japanese Buddhism that gathered a large popular following. The temple stood in the Yoshizaki area, on the coast of what is now Fukui Prefecture.

The site's importance rests on that connection to Rennyo and the Ikkō sect. Over time the temple passed into history, leaving the ruins that survive in the Yoshizaki neighbourhood of Awara. In 2012 those ruins were designated a National Historic Site, formally recognising the location's place in the story of the sect and its founder.

What Stands There Today

What remains at the site are the ruins of the temple, in the Yoshizaki neighbourhood of Awara. These ruins, rather than a standing temple complex, are what carry the National Historic Site designation granted in 2012. The site lies in Fukui Prefecture, in the city of Awara, at coordinates 36.2870970, 136.2508060.

The Name in Japanese

The temple's name is written 吉崎御坊. In kana it reads よしざきごぼう, and in romaji it is Yoshizaki-gobō. The name divides into a place name and a term for a type of religious foundation.

• 吉 — read よし (yoshi) here. The character carries the sense of good fortune or auspiciousness.
• 崎 — read ざき (zaki) here; the base reading of the character is さき (saki), voiced to zaki in compound. It means a promontory or small cape — a piece of land jutting out.
• 御 — read ご (go) here. This is an honorific prefix, lending the name a respectful, elevated tone.
• 坊 — read ぼう (bō) here. It denotes a Buddhist monk, and by extension a monk's quarters or a temple building.

Taken together, 吉崎 (Yoshizaki) is the place name, and 御坊 (gobō) is the honorific term for the temple foundation — literally something like "the honoured monk's quarters." The full name thus identifies the temple by its location: the gobō at Yoshizaki.

Visiting and Context

Yoshizaki-gobō belongs to the Muromachi period, the stretch of Japanese history from 1336 to 1573 during which the temple was founded in 1471, in the third year of the Bunmei era. Its ruins lie in the Yoshizaki neighbourhood of Awara, Fukui Prefecture, and hold National Historic Site status, conferred in 2012.

For readers of Japanese, the name repays attention: 吉崎 supplies the place, and 御坊 — the honorific 御 plus 坊 for a monk's foundation — is a word worth recognising, since it recurs in the names of temples tied to the Ikkō tradition. The site's coordinates, 36.2870970 and 136.2508060, place it on the Japan Sea side of central Honshu, in the coastal city of Awara.