Tōrin-in
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Tōrin-in (東林院, Tōrin-in, East Woods Cloister) is a sub-temple of the temple complex of Myōshin-ji in Kyoto, Japan. It is affiliated with the Myōshin-ji school of Rinzai Zen Buddhism.
Name
The temple is named for Donglin Temple (simplified Chinese: 东林寺; traditional Chinese: 東林寺; pinyin: Dōnglínsì) at the base of Mountain Lu near Jiujiang in China.
Due to a famous 300-year-old sal tree on the grounds, it is colloquially known as the Sal Tree Temple (沙羅双樹の寺, sarasōju-no-tera). A festival is held every June to celebrate the sal tree and its flowers.
History
The temple was founded in 1531 in Kamigyō-ku as a family temple for the Hosokawa clan, and named Sanyū-in (三友院). In 1556, it passed to the Yamana clan, whose family temple it remains to this day, and was moved to its current location within Myōshin-ji and renamed to Tōrin-in.
Visiting
The temple is not generally open to walk-up visitors, but is open year-round for shukubō (monastery lodging) and shōjin-ryōri (devotional cuisine). The current head priest, Nishikawa Genbō (西川玄房), is a researcher of devotional cuisine. A class on devotional cuisine is held every Tuesday.
The temple holds three annual events which are open to the public:
- Celebrate the New Year with adzuki bean gruel (小豆粥で初春を祝う会, azuki-gayu de shoshun wo iwau kai) – second half of January, from January 15, celebrating koshōgatsu (小正月, Little New Year)
- Admiration of sal tree flowers (沙羅の花を愛でる会, sara-no-hana wo mederu kai) – second half of June
- Festival of fondness of lantern light (梵燈のあかりに親しむ会, Bontō-no-akari ni shitashimu kai) – early/mid-October
External links
- 塔頭寺院案内 東林院 (sub-temple information: Tōrin-in) (in Japanese)