TOGAN-JI/桃願寺
(Togan temple)

Buddhism temple in Soto School
and also enshrine Benzaiten or Saraswati

a gate called Furo-mon (lit.ageless gate) enjoy the change of seasons and peaceful atmosphere

As soon as you set your foot in the temple yard, you will feel calm peaceful atmosphere.
It is like a heaven or an oasis in the hustle and bustle of the big city.

There is an image of Buddha coated in green (2006) made of bronze (largest in Nagoya).
The constraction was started in 1980 and completed in 1987.
It's 10 meter high (Buddha /10 meters, base/ 5 meters), and his
fingers show the Seppoh-in (the seal of Buddha's lecture) *
There are many types of Buddha statures, however those larger than approx. five meters are
called collectvely as "Daibutsu/大仏 (大means large or big, and 仏 means Buddha).
The Buddha stature in Togan-ji is called "Nagoya Daibutsu".
* seppoh-in is the seal of crossing hands in front of a chest. It shows Buddha's form
when he gave the first discourse after he attained enlightenment. It's also called
tempoh-in. There are various seppoh-in, because he signed
in many ways while he gave discourse.

There are also 5 trainée priests, 7 male and 3 female elephants, deer and peacocks on the base.

Buddha in Togan-ji (Nagoya Daibutsu)
Before	After coating in green

Before you enter the shrine, please rinse your hands and mouth (if water is clean)	Shiv Linga This monument is to hold memorial service for terminated or stillborn or short lived babies. festival is held on July 24	hokora	Influence of Hinduism ? recourse in distress to the couples who realy want to have a baby	Square bamboo called shiho-chiku is asset of Nagoya City. Shiho means square and chiku means bamboo.	Pets' cemetary

Bamboo bush	Bojo-Kannon	beautiful contrast	path to the Buddha stature

main temple Kanzeon-bosatsu made by Eshin-sozu is niched	corridor with a special architectual technique called uguisu-bari. You can hear beautuful songs of Japanese nightingale, uguisu, in every step	pictures on the ceiling	Huge mokugyo or wooden temple drum which is used in chanting. This is the largest (1 meter across)in Japan, which is made of camphor tree (the log was 100 year-old. The notice said that if you touch this mokugyo, your past misdeeds will be purged

Oda (family name), Nobuyuki (first name)

Nobuyuki was Nobuhide's non-legitimate son and
Nobunaga's (one of the most famous worriers in the Warring State Period) younger brother.

At that time Nobunaga was called 'Oo-utsuke', big fool, because of his aberrations.
Nobuyuki was supported by Nobuhide's feudatories much more than Nobunaga
But Nobuhide decided Nobunaga a heir because he was his first legitimate son
After that Nobuyuki was killed by Nobunaga.

***

The biggest festival in Togan-ji temple is called Taisai and held on May 7th and 8th in every year,.
They exhibit a stature of sleeping Benzaiten (眠り弁天/nemuri-Benten)or Sarasvati,
the goddess of artistic accomplishments, blessing with a child, good match, etc..

photo from a pamphlet

Benzaiten was originally a Hindu goddes in India.
She had traveled China and Korea, then introduced in Japan.
Now she is one of the seven happy gods (Shichi fuku jin) in Japan.
Buddha is said that he is also one of the Hindu gods in Hinduism.

Ehibition of Sleeping Benzaiten goddess

January 1 - 5
May 7, 8
8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
admission fee : 1,000 yen

*****

It seemed that Togan-ji has related with India not only by Sarasvati, Benzaiten, goddes but also
by the architecture which looks like Indian style (pic above) and a history of a priest.
One of the priests Zen'yu Oda completed his studies, a doctorate in Buddhist philosophy,
at Nalanda University in Bihar, India.

2-16, Yotsuya-dori, Chikusa-ku

Togan-ji is one of the nearest temples from Nagoya Univ. or Nanzan Univ.
It's located between Motoyama and Nagoya-Daigaku subway station, and along Yotsuya-dori street.

Get off at Motoyama sta. on the subway Higashiyama-line or Meijyo line.
Take exit 6 and walk up the hill, Yotsuya-dori, approximately 5-6 minutes.
Togan-ji is on the left.

Get off at Nagoya Daigaku subway station
Take exit 2 or 3, walk 13-15 min to the North
Togan-ji is on the right

TEL: 052-781-1427

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