Shiga-in Temple is a Tendai sect temple located in Sakamoto Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. While this structure was built in the first half of the 17th century, ruled over by the Rinnouzi-Monzeki priesthood who were of royal blood, it is currently the main temple of the Hiezan Enryakuji-temple concourse, the leading site of the Tendai sect, and at the same time is a residence for the Tendai master.
Buildings constructed by Nikai-Syoin, Kyakuden, and Kuri can be found within the precincts of Shiga-in Temple; the Edo period buildings that were previously located on this site burned down during 1877.
Early research on Shiga-in Temple initially assumed that the site functioned as a private academic training or retirement facility for Rinnouzi-Monzeki at Mt. Hieizan, and secondarily as an officially controlled temple. However, while these initial studies did partly discuss the function of Shiga-in Temple, no research to date has dealt with either the construction or management system of this site. This study uses newly available historical materials in the collection of Eizan Bunko on Hieizan Enryakuzi to clarify the management system and prefectural organization of the Shiga-in Temple.
First, we demonstrate the presence of three organizations that controlled the operation of Shiga-in Temple, Tendaizasu, Rinnouzi-Monzeki, and Shiga-in Rusui. Of these, Tendaizasu was the top level of a sect denominated from ancient times in Hieizan, while Rinnouzi-Monzeki was the top level of the newly established Tendai sect denominated in Kanto. Finally, Shiga-in Rusui was a worker for an organization responsible for the temple of Hieizan Enryakuzi. Although previous research has argued that the Tendaizasu and the Rinnouzi-Monzeki were unified subsequent to the Edo period, the two organizations were formally at the top level of Shiga-in Temple. This is because these sects were always present in Kanto, while Shiga-in Temple was always managed by a Shiga-in Rusui on this mountain. Shiga-in Rusui was a priest appointed to fulfill a number of duties, including that of representing the temple in external relations, of serving as deputy for the head of the temple when he was absent, as well as managing internal tasks and receiving guests.
The second aim of this study is an attempt to verify that Shiga-in Temple building was not reconstructed during the modern era. To do this, we used documents and pictures from historical records.
Our analysis shows that building work at Shiga-in Temple started in 1645, and that initial restoration work was carried out in 1748, before large earthquakes occurred in 1751 and 1830. Documents and comparisons of pictorial records of construction show that six periods of restoration and maintenance work took place in the early Edo period. From 1744, four images provide evidence for this. The first shows the first restoration, and the second, from 1767, shows painting before repairs as a result of extensive restorations carried out by the shogunate government. The third image shows repairs carried out by the shogunate government in the 19th century, while the fourth is a picture from the Meiji era, towards the end of the Edo period. These images show the extent of restorations in each period up until the present.
Historical documents and diary materials reveal that repair work to Shiga-in Temple was carried out repeatedly. In addition, using historical drawings, we are able to elucidate the appearance of Shiga-in Temple during each period of restoration work. For example, we are able to elucidate the construction of the precinct from historical drawings, and verify a group of northern boundaries as a Kyakuden, a Kosyoin, and a Kitchen, while a Nikai-syoin is represented by a group in the south.
