The Buddhist
temples and Shinto shrines of Japan have a special relationship to nature. Although their landscapes are managed, this
is done in a very different way than Christian churches as there is a stronger
natural element to them. In urban
settings, the temples and shrines are refuges for nature, and in the
countryside they often provide a glimpse into historical cultural
landscapes.
Heisenji
Temple in Echizen is the site of a medieval mountain temple that was
traditionally the start of the ascent of Buddhist worshippers of the sacred
mountain Hakusan. 200 hectares of land
that the former temple stood on have been a designated Historical Site since
1935 and archeological excavation of the site is ongoing.
The temple
was affluent and prosperous from the Muromachi period (室町時代/Muromachi jidai c.1337-1573) until the
Warring States period (戦国時代/Sengoku jidai,
c.1467-1603). It is believed that during
this period, the temple rivaled major warlords in terms of its powers and boasted
8000 warrior monks and 6000 dwellings including 48 shrines and 36 temples. Sustaining such a large temple put a great
strain on the local population who were taxed in order to maintain it. This led in 1574 to the Echizen Uprising by followers
of the Honganji sect of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism and Heisenji was burned to the
ground. The temple was rebuilt at a tenth
of its former scale. As part of the 19th
century Meiji government’s program of separating Shinto and Buddhism the temple
name of Heisenji was abolished, and became Hakusan Jinja (shrine).
In addition
to the fascinating history of the area, the remnants of the holy mountain path
at Echizen are terrific for hikers. The holy
site has beautiful ancient trees, many of whom are over 300 years old. Some of the trees have been designated as
holy with shimenawa – rice straw
ropes used in the Shinto religion. This
reminded me of the camphor tree in My
Neighbour Totoro (となりのトトロ, 1988). My
kids were delighted by the variety of flora and fauna, discovering cicada
shells and even a live millipede. There
was some concern that it might be an example of the millipede’s poisonous centipede
cousin (mukade), but close examination
of its legs reassured us that we were in no danger.
The Hakusan
region is working towards gaining UNESCO World Heritage Site status under the
title “Sacred Mt. Hakusan and the Cultural Landscape at the foothills of Mt.
Hakusan.” Learn more about
it here.
Hakusan
Heisenji Temple Historical Museum Mahoroba
白山平泉寺歴史探遊館 まほろば
Tel. +81
779-87-6001
Fax. +81 779-87-6002
Museum
opening hours: 9am to 5pm (last entry at 4:30)
Closed on
Wednesdays and during the New Year’s holidays
Closed the
day after a federal holiday.
Address: (Google
Maps)
66-2
Heisenjichō Heisenji, Katsuyama-shi, Fukui-ken
〒911-0822
福井県勝山市平泉寺町平泉寺 第66号2番地12
(平泉寺市営駐車場すぐ近く)
For more
information:
白山平泉寺歴史探遊館 まほろば, Katsuyama City website (JP only)
Historic
Site: Former Temple
Precinct of Hakusan Heisenji, Japanese Archaeological Association
Morimoto,
Yukihiro. “Ecological Dynamics Of Urban
And Rural Landscapes - The Need For Landscape Planning That Considers That
Considers The Biodiversity Crisis In Japan”, Ecological Issues in a Changing World, 2004, pp 325-336 (link).