The name of the mountain, Funakiyama, is said to derive from the fact that its location was the site of a donation of timber for warships during Empress Jingu's expedition to the Korean Peninsula. The area was called Sento Onsato, and pine trees were planted there, giving the temple the name "Horamatsu no Tsukasa."
It is said that during Emperor Tenji's imperial visit during the Asuka period, the pine tree at Horamatsu no Tsukasa was viewed by the emperor, who enshrined the Kosho Bosatsu (Bodhisattva) of Kofuku-ji Temple, built a temple, and founded the Hosso sect Funakiyama Doshojiin temple. Later, the Wake clan developed seven halls and a temple complex. It is said to have had 36 temples.
In 1184, Emperor Antoku's ship was wrecked during a voyage to the Western Sea. At that time, hundreds of timbers were donated, and Doshojiin was renamed Dosho-ji Temple. The temple fell into decline during the Middle Ages, but in the Muromachi period, Kiyama Shosan of Daidoin Temple in Enshu revived it in 1412 at the request of the Sho clan, lord of Sarugake Castle. Kiyama Shosan appointed his teacher, Jochu Tengin, as its founding abbot, and himself became the second abbot.
After a few years of missionary work, the temple attracted monks from all over the world and became a large training center. Its disciples, including Zen masters Shigeru Moribayashi and Dogen Reigaku, fostered a strong Zen culture.
From the fifth abbot, Zen master Suzhi Seidai[2] onward, a rotating abbot system (in which the successive abbots of the temple and the head priests of the temple were rotated to promote the temple's development) was implemented, spanning 80 abbots over a period of approximately 200 years until the Meireki era (1655-1657).
After that, through consensus, the temple was reorganized into a sole abbot system, and the sixth abbot, Tenso Jukaku Roshi, was appointed as its special abbot.
There are 43 ancient documents known as the Doshoji Documents that remain. These documents include land grant certificates, donation letters, and documents related to temple lands from the Muromachi period to the Sengoku period (1448 to 1599), and they provide insight into the economic activity in southern Bitchu Province at the time. They were designated an Important Cultural Property of Okayama Prefecture in 2004. They are currently on loan to the Yakage Cultural Center.
Translated by Google •
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