Honda Crest
I’m not sure what this building is, but I know that that is the Honda clan kamon on the roof. "Zenko" is actually a Chinese transliteration of Honda Yoshimitsu’s name. Yoshimitsu was said to have rescued the Amida Buddha image from a river after it was tossed by a rival clan. There is another story in the Journal of Japanese Religious Studies that tells of an Indian man named Gakkai whose daughter was resurrected by the Amida Buddha. He was later reincarnated as Honda Yoshimitsu. Yoshimitsu then brought the Amida Triad to Shinano, but his son and wife died at that time. The Triad saved them from hell and resurrected them. When Empress Kogyoku heard of this she awarded the Honda clan the funds to build Zenko-ji.
Zenko-ji is the most important temple in Nagano prefecture. It belongs to both the Jodo Shu and Tendai sect. The original temple was built in 642 about 200 meters south, but it was moved to its present location in 1707 to avoid the fires which had damaged Zenko-ji in the past. Zenko-ji houses the hibutsu, a Buddha image so secret that not even the head priests are allowed to view it. Only a replica can be viewed by the public, and that only happens during Gokaicho–once every six years. Zenko-ji is perhaps most famous for its role in the battles of Kawanakajima between the feudal lords Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen. During these battles it was used as a base by Kenshin.
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