Katsuyori and Hosenji

Hōsen(zen)ji 法泉(禅)寺 was built in 1330 by Takeda Nobutake 武田信武 (1292-1359). He invited Gesshū zenji 月舟禅師 who was one of the leading disciples of Musō Soseki 夢窓疎石 (1275-1351), also known as Musō Kokushi 夢窓国師, as the resident priest*. This temple is famous for the tomb of Takeda Katsuyori 武田勝頼 (1546-1582). After Shingen's death (1573), Katsuyori took over as head of the Takeda's family, but the clan was defeated by the coalition troops of Oda Nobunaga 織田信長 and Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 at the Battle of Nagashino 長篠の戦い (1575) and then was declining. In 1582, Katsuyori, the family and the remaining subordinates suffered defeat to the combined forces at the Battle of Temmokuzan 天目山の戦い and he and his family commited suicide. Then Nobunaga ordered to put Katsuyori's head on public display at the Rokujō-gawara 六条河原 (known as an execution ground) in Kyoto. Kaigaku 快岳, the resident priest of Hōsenji at the time, knew that and brought the head back to the temple. And he built Katsuyori's tomb.
*Gesshū declined to be Kaizan, the first resident priest, of Hōsenji, asked his master Soseki to be it and became the second.


Shōrōmon 鐘楼門, built in 1636.


Garden lanterns and Hondō 本堂, built in 1680.


One of 16 Arhat Statues


Kongōfukujusan 金剛福聚山



■ Hosenji's Official Web Site (Japanese version only)

■ View Kongōfukujusan Hōsenzenji 金剛福聚山 法泉禅寺 on Google My Maps

■ Refer to Kofu-Gozan & Kai Zenkoji and Kai Pilgrimage

■ Reference Data
・Hosenji's Official Web Site
・Wikipedia

FIVE-STORIED STUPA

Minobusan 身延山 Kuonji 久遠寺 which is the 108th temple of Kai 108 Reijō Pilgrimage is also the head temple of Nichirenshū 日蓮宗 to which about 5200 temples & about 3.3 million people belong. Its five-storied stupa 五重塔 was rebuilt in May this year, for the first time for about 130 years, and is 39 meters high.

Takashi Shikano 鹿野貴司, photographer, who had taken about 80 thousand pictures of the process of building the structure, carpenters, monks, changes of the seasons & various events of the temple for 2 years, holds the exhibition "The five-storied stupa coming back, Minobusan Kuonji 甦る五重塔 身延山久遠寺" where you can see 42 selected pictures. The venues are at Tokyo, Sapporo & Sendai.

- TOKYO -
Venue：Canon Gallery Ginza
Address：東京都中央区銀座3-9-7 トレランス銀座ビルディング1F (Google Map)
Term：July 2 ～ July 8, 2009
Hours：10:00 ～ 19:00（the final day : ～ 15:00）
Closed：Sunday
Admission：no charge

- SAPPORO -
Venue：Canon Gallery Sapporo
Address：北海道札幌市北区北7条西1-1-2 SE山京ビル1F (Google Map)
Term：August 17 ～ August 28, 2009
Hours：9:00 ～ 17:30（the final day : ～ 15:00）
Closed：Saturday & Sunday
Admission：no charge

- SENDAI -
Venue：Canon Gallery Sendai
Address：：宮城県仙台市青葉区国分町3-6-1 仙台パークビルヂング1F (Google Map)
Term：September 24 ～ October 2, 2009
Hours：9:00 ～ 17:30（the final day : ～ 15:00）
Closed：Saturday & Sunday
Admission：no charge

■ Link
・Takashi Shikano's official web site and official blog site

YAMANASHI PEACH CAFE (Shinjuku, Tokyo)

"Yamanashi Momo(peach) Cafe やまなし桃カフェ" opens, for a limited time only, from today to 31th July at Shinjuku Southern Terrace shop 新宿サザンテラス店 of TRAVEL CAFE. You can eat a parfait and drink juices & cocktails, made from peaches grown in Yamanashi.

■HOURS : Weekday & Saturday 10:00～23:00 / Sunday & National Holiday 10:00～22:00

■MENU
Day Time Menu
Night Time Menu(17:30~)
(Japanese versions only)

■View Yamanashi Momo(peach) Cafe やまなし桃カフェ on Google My Maps