Chapter 1422: Enryaku Temple, a thousand-year-old temple
Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei is the main gate of the Tendai Sect, and the head of Enryaku-ji Temple is called the Tendai Sect Master.
The name of Enryaku Temple comes from the reign name of the Emperor's court. It was given by the Emperor the year after the temple was built. The word "Enryaku" comes from the Book of the Later Han Dynasty.
There are two major esoteric Buddhist sects in the island country, namely Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei and Kongobu-ji Temple on Mount Koya. Both are famous temples and ancient temples that have been passed down for nearly a thousand years.
Compared with the Tendai sect of Mount Hiei, the Shingon sect of Koyasan has less ambitions for worldly affairs. It may be because it is far away from the center of Kyoto, and it exists more as a place of exile for political losers.
The old and new doctrines of the Shingon sect split, and the new sect moved west to live in Waka's Nerai Mountain. The old sect moved eastward, annexed the Hosho sect lineage of Kofukuji Temple, and entered the Yamato Buddhist Kingdom.
The old and new sects were in the east and west of Kii Country. Although there were disputes over doctrines and persecution of each other, overall they were peaceful.
The Tiantai Sect is in the vortex of the political center of the island country, and its beliefs and political interests are entangled, and it has never been at peace.
The earliest civil strife was the conflict between the Yuanren sect and the Yuanzhen sect. After the Yuanzhen sect withdrew from Shanmen and established its own branch, Youde Gaoni, who was dissatisfied with the Tiantai sect, left generation after generation.
The founders of the recent Nichiren Sect and Pure Land Sect were actually from the Tiantai Sect, but the Tiantai Sect could not tolerate them, and eventually they turned against each other.
Therefore, although Mount Hiei is known as the Buddha of the island country, which means that all Buddhism in the world comes from Mount Hiei, the reputation of the Tendai Sect has never been very good.
Buddhism in the island country comes from the Celestial Dynasty, and the Enryaku Temple, which can be built over 800 years ago, is not based on the improved Buddhism of the Song Dynasty, but the Buddhism of the earlier Tang Dynasty, which is closer to the original teachings of India.
After three martial arts and one sect destroyed Buddhism, Chinese Buddhism was completely discouraged by the time Buddhism was formed in the Song Dynasty. It focused more on cultivating lower-level believers and raising more incense money.
The Buddhism of the Han and Tang dynasties was somewhat similar to the old sects such as the Tiantai Sect. They liked to enclose their fields for tax exemptions and raise a few nuns to keep up with the imperial court.
The Master of the Tendai Sect of Mount Hiei has been very arrogant since the beginning of the Emperor's court. If he cannot distinguish his teachings, he will be physically destroyed.
Fighting against the Enzen sect that broke away from the Tendai Sect, fighting against the Nara Master of Yamato Buddhism, and intervening in the government affairs, everyone from the emperor to the ministers could do nothing to them.
The imperial court was already weak in military force, so part of the reason for introducing Buddhist ideas was also to use nuns who were fanatical about Buddhism to defend themselves against foreign enemies with their faith.
Mount Hiei was originally the extended defense line of the Emperor's court that originated from the Nara Basin and developed towards the Kyoto Basin in the north.
Enryaku-ji Temple is located in the Sakamotoguchi area, hidden in Mount Hiei. In mythology, it is called the Oni Gate, and the Mountain Master is the guardian who resists the ghosts of the north and protects Kyoto behind him.
And this ghost refers to the indigenous hairy people of the island country who originated from Kanto.
When the Emperor's court became stronger and counterattacked Kanto to seize the territory of the Mao people, the early version of the Hime Samurai, and their future leader, the General Zhengyi, gradually entered the stage of history.
And Master Yama, who once helped protect the Emperor's court, has gradually become a scourge around Kyoto and a headache for the Emperor's court.
Finally, the emperor sent his children to Mount Hiei to become nuns.
Since you can't deal with Master Shan, you can simply join Buddhism and let your own bloodline become the head nun. This can be considered a solution.
After the rise of the samurai regime, they looked down upon these thousand-year-old nuns who were close to the emperor's court.
The Kamakura shogunate supported the Rinzai sect, a branch of Zen Buddhism with strict precepts, and established the nun system Kamakura Gozan, in order to use nuns to create nuns.
Unfortunately, not long after Kamakura Gozan opened for business, the Kamakura shogunate fell.
When the strongest shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate, the third generation of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, came to power, he once again built the Five Mountains of Kyoto and continued to unite the Rinzai and Tendai sects.
It is also a pity that after the death of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, there was no strong and consistent general in the shogunate.
From then on, the Tendai Sect started to tremble again, kicking the Ichigo Sect and punching the Nichiren Sect. Taking advantage of the civil strife in the shogunate, they went down the mountain and massacred and burned all the Nichiren Sect's gates.
Buddhism all over the world saw it and remembered it in their hearts. The Tendai Sect was now embarrassed to talk about the Lotus Sutra. Although the Nichiren Sect fled everywhere, they could confidently call themselves the Lotus Sect.
By the time of Ashikaga Yoshiteru, the Ashikaga Shogun family was already in dire straits.
Ashikaga Yoshiteru's father, the former Odaishou, believed in the Tendai sect and had a very good relationship with Mount Hiei. Whether this piety was due to faith or to help his daughter maintain the stability of the shogunate is hard to say.
When Ashikaga Yoshiteru was killed and the previous Odai was killed, Oda Nobunaga raised his troops to attack Luo, and the Nichiren sect once again raised its own Buddhist flag and entered the capital, seriously hurting the self-esteem of the Tendai sect.
This was the crisis when the Enryakuji Order took the initiative to participate in the samurai's campaign without authorization, resulting in the death of Oda's important minister Mori Kashigen in the battle, and Oda Nobunaga went berserk and surrounded Asai Asakura's coalition forces and Mount Hiei.
Enryakuji Temple Kakushu, who was originally holding a Buddhist meeting in Kyoto, was so worried that he rushed back to Mount Hiei overnight to take charge of the overall situation. Oh no, he rushed back to Mount Hiei to take the blame.
Just when she was at a loss, Yoshigan Shiba came back from Kanto. After visiting Oda Nobunaga and Asai Nagamasa, he climbed Mount Hiei under the banner of peaceful settlement and came to Enryaku Temple.
Master Kakushu was so surprised that he opened the gate to welcome the elder Genji. The treatment he enjoyed was even better than that of Ashikaga Shogun.
Faced with Master Kyoshu's hospitality, Yiyin could only sigh, what a great drama that lasts for thousands of years, and what a standing Enryaku Temple.
———
Master Jueshu opened the mountain gate and respectfully introduced Sibo Yiyin into the fundamental nave.
Hieizan Enryaku-ji Temple is divided into three centers: East Tower, West Tower, and Yokokawa. The main central hall of the main hall is located in the East Tower.
The place is splendid with gold and jade, with red pillars and nuns accompanying them. It looks like a paradise scene imitating the style of the Tang Dynasty.
The root nave is the central building of the East Pagoda Zhikan-yuan. It has never received outsiders and only enshrines the incense of the Medicine Master Tathagata, the Sun and Moonlight Bodhisattva, the Twelve Divine Generals and other Buddhas and gods.
The hall is paved with stones, high on the outside and low on the inside. The ever-burning lamp installed will last for thousands of years, illuminating Enryakuji Temple, the origin of Buddhism in the island country.
The fact that Master Kyoshu can receive Yiyin here is already the Tiantai Sect's supreme respect for him. The Enryaku Temple religious group did not object, and it seemed that they were really afraid.
In the hall, under the seat of Medicine Master Tathagata, Yiyin and Jueshu sat on the futons on the left and right respectively.
Yiyin scanned the entire audience. The Taoist nuns were still solemn, but their gazes focused on him were scorching. It turned out that these nuns who had achieved great spiritual attainments were also afraid of death.
In addition to the seemingly peaceful but actually panicked nuns of Enryakuji Temple, there were also two women dressed as Hime warriors in the temple, who were particularly conspicuous.
As soon as Yiyin glanced at them, they kowtowed to the ground to show respect.
Master Jueshu explained quickly.
"This is the envoy sent by the General."
The leader Ji Ji Ji bowed and said.
"Your Majesty, Takaoka Keiyu, has seen Tsudo-den. May you be blessed and safe.
This is my deputy, accompanying Lord Nobutora Takeda."
When he heard Takeda Nobutora's name, Yoshigine was stunned. This energetic old woman was actually the mother of Takeda Shingen?
he asked.
"Is this Mr. Nobutora of the Kai Takeda family?"
Takeda Nobutora bowed and said.
"It's the foreign minister, Jinduo Palace Wan'an."
Looking up at Yoshigan Shiba under the Yakushi Tathagata's seat, Takeda Nobutora couldn't calm down in his heart for a long time.
The golden body of the Buddha statue is painted with gold and powder, and the handsome man beneath it is like a golden boy in front of the Buddha. He has a majestic appearance and an extraordinary temperament, unlike any ordinary person.
With a height of 1.8 meters, he towered over everyone present, making him stand out even more.
Takeda Nobutora remembered that this man should be over twenty years old, but his face was full of the youthfulness of a sixteen-year-old boy, as if time had never passed through the flowering season.
Thinking that he was his granddaughter's biological father, Takeda Nobutora's mood became more complicated.
My bastard daughter is so lucky. She was able to have an in-depth and simple exchange with such an immortal person, and even got a seed. It was really worth dying for.
Let Takeda Nobutora be twenty years younger, and it's hard not to be moved when you see this blossoming young man.
That stinky daughter actually fell in love with such a peerless beauty. It's really cool. I hope she doesn't kill the Takeda family.
Takeda Nobutora's heart has turned over a thousand times.
When she was the governor of the Takeda family, she was considered a hero of the generation. It was just that she was fond of using violence and went to war without caring about people's livelihood, so she was replaced by her hypocritical daughter.
Compared to her, Takeda Shingen was more prudent in doing things and acted before planning. He won over people's hearts through the construction of water conservancy projects and turned the Kai Kingdom, which she had reluctantly unified by force, into a real whole.
Over the years, Takeda Nobutora was expelled. Seeing the Takeda family prospering, his resentment towards his daughter for banishing him gradually faded away.
Especially after knowing the existence of Rena, the granddaughter, the feeling of being separated from another generation made Takeda Nobutora even more resentful.
This is how Takeda Nobutora traveled around the country and helped Takeda Shingen recruit the Shima pirate leader Obama Keitaka in Ise Country.
Oda Nobunaga sent troops to attack Kitahata Ise, hunted rabbits, and captured Kitahata Goji of Minami Ise. He also forced Kitahata Gokaku to retire, and handed the Kitahata family property to his third sister, Oda Shinbao.
Takeda Shingen, who was friends with Kitahata Tomomi, persuaded her that Oda Nobunaga had a surly temperament and that she should find another way out and seek help from Shiba Yoshigan, a man of benevolence and giri.
With the entrustment of Kitahata Tomoko and the curiosity about Shiba Yoshigan, Takeda Nobutora came to Kyoto.
But at this time, Shiba Yoshigan had already fallen out with Ashikaga Yoshiaki, retired from his residence, and then went to Kanto to put out the fire.
Takeda Nobutora couldn't see Yoshihiro Shiba. She was too old and too lazy to run around anymore. She simply found a position in the shogunate, thinking that there would always be a chance to meet Yoshihiro Shiba in the future.
The Kai-Takeda family was of high status. Takeda Shingen was recognized by the shogunate as the protector of the two kingdoms of Kai and Shinano, with a height of nearly one million. Her mother came to Kyoto for retirement, and the shogunate had to give her face.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki gave Takeda Nobutora a companion status to facilitate her life in Kyoto.
Although the shogunate at this time was in ruins, Ashikaga Yoshiaki could not even pay the wages of the Ashikaga Hui clan. With such a false reputation as the Shogun clan, naturally there was no welfare benefits.
But Takeda Nobutora didn't care. She and Takeda Shingen got back on good terms. Takeda Shingen's living expenses for his mother's old age would not be small, so how could she expect the shogunate to give her three melons and two dates.
The Kai-Takeda family has developed very well in recent years, and the snobs in Kyoto also bowed their heads and complimented this old woman.
Takeda Nobutora actually lived a very happy life in Kyoto, traveling around freely every day, and was not at all affected by the conflict between the shogunate and the Oda family.
After all, there is a powerful Takeda family behind her, and people sent by Oda Nobunaga to Kyoto will not cause trouble for her.
Recently, Takeda Nobutora finally waited until Yoshigan Shiba returned to Kanto and went to Mount Hiei to mediate for an armistice.
She went to Nijo Castle to find Ashikaga Yoshiaki to ask for a name as an envoy and hurried up the mountain, arriving at Enryakuji Temple with Yoshigan Shiba.
At this time, Takeda Nobutora stared at Yoshigan's face with emotion, which made the real Ashikaga envoy Takaoka Keitomo sweat on his head. What on earth is this old woman doing?
Takeda Nobutora stared at Yoshigage in a daze, not to mention that Takaoka Keito was sweating, Yoshigage was also very upset when he saw him.
If you look closely at Takeda Nobutora's appearance, you can see that he is 67% similar to Takeda Shingen. He was also a beauty when he was young.
Yiyin looked at her and could not help but think of the beautiful memories of the in-depth exchange between the three of them in Yantian City.
Looking back now, apart from the lack of personal freedom, those days were really the most exciting experiences since time travel, which makes Yiyin feel a little nostalgic.
Takaoka Keitomo on the side didn't know about these sweet dreams between Yoshihiro and the Takeda family. He was just worried that Takeda Nobutora's rude behavior might offend Yoshihiro Shiba.
Takaoka Keitomo's visit this time was actually to extend an olive branch to Yoshihiro Shiba on behalf of Ashikaga Yoshiaki.
Although Ashikaga Yoshiaki himself was incompetent, a stack of imperial letters scattered around made Oda Nobunaga feel the heritage of the Ashikaga shogun family that had ruled the world for two hundred years.
But by doing this, Ashikaga Yoshiaki actually overdrawed the Ashikaga General's little credibility, and the gain outweighed the loss.
Moreover, the Oda family's army is at war, with troops everywhere from Minami Omito to Yamashiro Province. Oda Nobunaga is really cornered. The Miyoshi family can kill the general, but the Oda family can't?
If Oda's army marches into Kyoto, how many days can the Ashikaga horsemen of the Ashikaga shogun's family, who can't even pay their wages, hold out?
Ashikaga Yoshiaki himself did not expect that Nobunaga's siege network could cause such a big disturbance.
Asai Asakura, Rokkaku Miyoshi, and other families are now in a difficult position. Oda Nobunaga did not surrender and bow his head as Ashikaga Yoshiaki thought. Instead, he used all the energy to besiege Mount Hiei.
If a war breaks out, Kyoto will definitely be affected by the war, not to mention the fate of Mount Hiei.
No matter who wins the battle, the prestige of the Ashikaga Shogun will be lost, and the shogunate will be reduced to a decoration.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki could not help but regret in his heart. In this Nobunaga siege battle that affected most of Kojima, the Ashikaga shogunate and her general were the biggest losers.
At this time, Yoshigan Shiba rushed back from Kanto to mediate the war, and Mitsuhide Akechi visited Nijo Castle, hoping that the general would authorize Yoshigan Shiba to mediate the siege of Mount Hiei in the name of the shogunate.
Once Yoshihiro Shiba succeeds, at least on the surface, the shogunate will take the lead and reach an armistice agreement. Ashikaga Yoshiaki's face will be saved at least temporarily, and the crisis in Kyoto will be relieved.
And after this chaotic war, the frightened Oda Nobunaga will definitely face up to the influence of the shogunate and learn to respect the shogunate, right?
At least, this is how Ashikaga Yoshiaki comforted and hypnotized himself.
Therefore, the goal of Takaoka Keitomo's visit was, on the one hand, to represent General Ashikaga in recognizing the justice of Yoshigan Saba's mediation and to support his moral foundation.
On the other hand, after Ashikaga Yoshiaki suffered the hardships of Oda Nobunaga, he finally realized the power of this Owari country bumpkin and hoped to heal the rift with Yoshigan Shiba.