Zuiganji

Sobre este templo, situado em Matsushima na província de Sendai, existe um Ensinamento de Meishu Sama.

Matsushima sigifica "Ilhas (shima) de pinheiros (matsu)". É uma pequena cidade turística litorânea, na costa Leste-Pacífico, ao Norte do Japão. Para o Brasileiro, fica fácil ilustrar como a "Angra dos Reis" japonesa. Outrora uma enorme planície de arenito, foi ao longo dos milênios, sendo erodida pelo mar, sendo que ficaram os pedaços mais resistentes formando uma imensidão de ilhas dos mais diversos tamanhos e formas, povoadas de pinheiros japoneses que teimam em brotar, se contorcendo no agarrar e firmar naquelas pedras arenosas verticais.

É neste cenário paradisíaco, a algumas dezenas de metros do mar, que se ergue o Zuyganji. Sobre ele, você pode ler uma passagem do texto em inglês do folheto explicativo distribuído na entrada:

    "Zuiganji's formal name is Shoto Seiryuzan Zuigan Enpukuzenji and it is a Zen Temple. It was founded by Jikaku-Daishi Ennin, in the Heian period (828), and was named Enpukuji. It originally belonged to the Tendai sect.

In the middle of the 13th century (Kamakura period), the feudal lord Hojo Tokiyori had Hoshin Shosai change the Japanese characters of Enpukuji from (Tendai sect Temple) to    (Zen Temple) but the pronunciation still remained the same, Enpukuji.

The temple prospered during the Kamakura and Muromachi period under the protection of the central government but declined during the feudal wars between 1447 and 1600. At the beginning of the Edo period (Early 17th century), Enpukiji was revived by the feudal lord Date Masamune.

In 1604, Masamune began restructuring the temple. Quality lumber, such as ceadr, was brought in from Mt. Kumano en Wakayama Prefecture and all the best carpenters were gathered from Kyoto and Wakayama (Negoro). The entrance and corridors of the main building and the Zen kitchen (Kuri) have now been designated as important national cultural assets.

In 1636, on his death bed, Masamune entrusted the famous head monk Ungo-Zenji to take over his work and continue developing the temple. By the middle of the Edo period, more than 30 temples had been built, including Entsu-in, Yotoku-in and Tenrin-in. Matsushima was officially recognised as a "Temple-Town".

The famous Haiku poet Matsuo Basho was so impressed by the golden walls inside the temple that he wrote the poem "Konpeki sogon hikari o kagayakashi" as a tribute. Of course, after 360 years of wear and tear the walls became very jaded, so in 1985, a 10-year project to restore and preserve them began. This was completed in 1995."

voltar