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Hiei-zan and Enryaku-ji Review

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Hiei-zan and Enryaku-ji

Fodor's Review:

From the observatory at the top of Hiei-zan a serpentine mountain path leads to Enryaku-ji (a half-hour walk), which remains a vital center of the Tendai sect of Buddhism. Today Enryaku-ji has three main precincts: the Eastern Precinct, where the main building in the complex, the Kompon Chu-do, stands; the Western Precinct; and the Yokawa district, a few miles north. At one time the complex consisted of 3,000 buildings and had its own standing army. These days, however, the monks are known as marathon monks – due to the extremely rigorous physical training that some still undergo – rather than their ancient appellation of military monks.

Enryaku-ji really began in 788. Emperor Kammu, the founding father of Kyoto, requested Priest Saicho (767-822) to establish a temple on Hiei-zan to protect the area. Hiei-zan was a natural barrier between the fledgling city and the northeastern Kin-mon (Devil's Gate), where devils were said to pass.

Unlike the older Nara sects that accepted a hierarchical society, Tendai espoused the belief that attaining Buddhahood was possible for anyone. The temple grew, and because police were not allowed on its mountaintop sanctuary, criminals flocked here, ostensibly to seek salvation. By the 11th century the temple had formed its own army to secure order on its estate. In time this army grew and became stronger than those of most other feudal lords, and the power of Enryaku-ji came to threaten Kyoto. No imperial army could manage a war without the support of Enryaku-ji, and when there was no war Enryaku-ji's armies would burn and slaughter monks of rival Buddhist sects, even destroying the Imperial Palace in 1177. Not until the 16th century was there a force strong enough to sustain an assault on the temple. With accusations that the monks had concubines and never read the sutras, Nobunaga Oda (1534-82), the general who helped unify Japan by ending more than a century of civil strife, attacked the monastery in 1571. In the battle many monks were killed, and most buildings were destroyed. Structures standing today were built in the 17th century.

The Kompon Chu-do in the Eastern Precinct dates from 1642 and has a stunning copper roof in the irimoya-zukuri layered style. Its dark, cavernous interior conveys the mysticism for which the Tendai sect is known. Giant pillars and a coffered ceiling shelter the central altar, which is surrounded by religious images and sacred objects. Worshipers kneel on a side higher than the shadowy area containing the altars, which allows them to come face-to-face with the deity. The ornate oil lanterns that hang before the altar represent the four stages of enlightenment.

The Western Precinct is where Saicho founded his temple and where he is buried. An incense burner wafts smoke before his tomb, which lies in a small hollow. Cedar trees surround the main structures of Jodo-in, Ninai-do, and Shaka-do, the oldest building in the complex. Sometimes you can hear chanting or catch sight of a monk sweeping the paths or clattering up the stone steps in wooden geta.

Take Kyoto Line Bus 16, 17, or 18 up the main highway, Route 367, to the Yase Yuenchi bus stop, next to Yase Yuen Station. You can see the entrance to the cable car on your left. It departs every 30 minutes, and you can transfer to the ropeway at Hiei for the remaining ride to the summit, where an observatory affords panoramic views of the mountains and of Biwa-ko.

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