Saifuku-ji, Buddhist temple in Togane, Japan
Saifuku-ji is a single-sect Buddhist temple in Togane, Chiba Prefecture, on the shore of Lake Hakkaku, known as Togane Kaiun Daikokuten. Its main hall's principal pillars are said to be old timber obtained from Senso-ji in Tokyo. The grounds hold bronze statues of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the priest Nisshin, and a city-designated sacred tree, a tara-yo tree.
According to one account, Saifuku-ji was founded by Saichō, the founder of Japanese Tendai Buddhism; its founding date is unknown. In 1479 its abbot converted to the Hokke-shū Myōman-ji branch, and the temple was revived with support from Sakai Sadataka, lord of Tsuchi Castle in Kazusa. Tokugawa Ieyasu visited, and the abbot Nisshō was invited to Sunpu. In 1954 it became an independent temple.
The temple is commonly known as Togane Kaiun Daikokuten, after its Daikokuten image, one of the city's designated cultural properties. It also keeps a Nirvana painting, a portrait of Zhiyi and a bronze bell fitting (wankuchi), and a tara-yō tree stands on the grounds as a city-designated natural monument.
Saifuku-ji stands at 1693 Togane, Togane City, Chiba Prefecture, on the shore of Hakkaku Lake, so the grounds are reached from the lake side of town. The main hall was repaired by the Kongo Gumi company after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake tilted it, work finished in 2013. Visitors can look for the bronze statues of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the priest Nisshin on the grounds.
The main pillars of the main hall are said to have been made from old timber donated by Sensō-ji in Tokyo. The temple also keeps a bronze statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu alongside one of the priest Nisshin, who was invited to Sunpu to meet him.
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