Kitain Temple, Japan

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Built in 830, Kitain is the regional head temple of the Buddhist Tendai sect. Around the turn from the 16th to the 17th century, Kitain was headed by Tenkai, an extraordinary personality, who also functioned as an important consultant to all of the three first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu, Hidetada and Iemitsu. Tenkai is said to have reached the age of 108.

In 1638, Kitain was destroyed by a fire, whereupon Shogun Iemitsu helped rebuilding the temple by donating some structures from Edo Castle. The structures, including one room said to be Iemitsu's birthplace, can still be viewed at Kitain and are the only remaining structures of Edo Castle today.



In order to move the structures from Edo (former name of Tokyo) to Kawagoe, a canal was built between the two cities. The canal would later provide the basis for the intensive trade from Kawagoe to Edo and crucially contribute to the wealth of Kawagoe and its citizens.

On the spacious temple grounds stands also a Toshogu Shrine, devoted to the spirits of the first Tokugawa shogun Ieyasu, and the Gohyaku Rakan Statues, 540 stone statues of the disciples of Buddha, each with its own facial expression. It s a pleasure to wander around and look at all of the statues.

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