JapaneseChosho-ji
| Official Name | Ishii-zan Chosho-ji {Pronounced e-she-e-zan choh-shoh-gee} |
|---|---|
| Religious sect | Nichiren sect, Buddhism |
| Founded | in 1263 by Nagakatsu Ishii {nah-gah-kah-tsu e-she-e} |
| Founding priest | Nichiren {nee-che-ren} |
| Main object of worship | Statue of Nichiren and Sanbo honzon |
| Address | 12-17, Zaimokuza 2-chome, Kamakura, Kanagawa 248-0013 (show route from current location ) |
| Location | 1,100 meters southwest of Kamakura Station |
| Time needed to get there | 20 minutes |
| Phone number | 0467-25-4300 |
Historical Overview
Nagakatsu Ishii, the founder of the Temple, was the lord of the manor here and faithful follower of Priest Nichiren (1222-1282), the founder of Nichiren sect Buddhism. When Priest Nichiren came back to Kamakura in 1263 after deportation to the Izu {e-zoo} Peninsula, Ishii cordially accommodated him with a hermitage inside Ishii's manor, which later was expanded to a temple called Honkokuji.
However, Honkokuji was relocated to Kyoto in 1345 at the request of Takauji Ashikaga {tah-kah-woo-gee ah-she-kah-gah} (1305-1358), who established the Ashikaga government in Kyoto. At the site where Honkokuji had existed, Priest Nissei erected a new temple, and named it as Ishiizan Chosho-ji, that is the origin of what we see today. (Chosho is another way of pronunciation for Nagakatsu.)
Like Myohoji and Ankokuronji in the vicinity, Choshoji also claims that Priest Nichiren's hermitage in Kamakura had existed right here, but various records indicate otherwise.
