Title Daisenji Priests’ Quarters

  • Tottori
  • Shimane
  • Okayama
Topic(s):
Historic Sites/Castle Ruins Shrines/Temples/Churches Public Works & Institutions (Museums, etc.)
Medium/Media of Use:
Interpretive Sign
Text Length:
≤250 Words
FY Prepared:
2018
Associated Tourism Board:
Daisen-Oki National Park

大山寺僧坊


大山寺は、かつて100以上の僧坊をもつ現在よりはるかに広大な寺でした。江戸時代には、本坊としての西楽院を中心として少なくとも42坊ありましたが、1875年の廃仏毇釈が施行されたことから、この組織は衰退し、現在ではわずか10坊となりました。


蓮浄院に、1914年に、著名な作家・志賀直哉(1883-1971)は宿泊しました。作家自身が巡礼および瞑想を目的として大山登山をした経験をもとに、著名な戦前の小説「暗夜行路」の最終章が執筆されたことが有名です。


近くにある2009年に再建された圓流院の天井画は、境港市育ち の有名な漫画家・水木しげる(1922-2015)によって描かれたものです。

Daisenji Priests’ Quarters


In the past Daisenji Temple was much larger than today, and at one time was home to over a hundred monks’ living quarters. In the Edo period (1603–1867), the temple complex consisted of the Sairakuin Hall, its administrative center, with at least forty-two buildings serving as quarters for monks and pilgrims. Anti-Buddhist legislation enacted in 1875 sent the complex into decline, and today there are only ten buildings.


In 1914, the acclaimed writer Shiga Naoya (1883–1971) stayed at Renjoin Hall. The climax of his celebrated pre-war novel Anya Koro (A Dark Night’s Passing), in which the writer-protagonist travels to Mt. Daisen for a pilgrimage and contemplation, was based on Shiga’s own experiences of climbing Mt. Daisen.


The ceiling paintings of nearby Enryuin Temple, which was reconstructed in 2009, were executed by the famous manga artist Mizuki Shigeru (1922–2015), who was raised in nearby Sakaiminato.

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