Erin-ji Temple

"When the mind is emptied, even fire turns cool." The Zen monk Kaisen Joki is said to have spoken these words as he met his end at Erin-ji, a temple of the Rinzai Myoshinji school in Enzan, Koshu, Yamanashi. As the Takeda Shingen family temple and a garden associated with Muso Soseki, it is essential for exploring Kai's history.

The temple dates to 1330, when the Kai governor Nikaido Sadafuji donated his estate and invited Muso Soseki as founder. It fell into ruin during the Onin War but was revived as the Takeda temple. In 1564 Shingen invited Kaisen Joki from Mino, and Kaisen led Shingen's funeral in 1575.

In 1582, after the Takeda fell, Oda Nobutada's army burned the temple. It had refused to hand over the sheltered Rokkaku Yoshisada, and Kaisen is said to have died on the burning gate leaving that verse. Tokugawa Ieyasu then revived the temple. In the Edo period Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu held memorial services for Shingen and was later reburied here.

The highlight is the garden, attributed to Muso Soseki and designated a Place of Scenic Beauty in 1944. The Momoyama-style four-legged gate is an Important Cultural Property, and the rebuilt main gate is a prefectural property. A fire in 1905 destroyed most halls, which were later rebuilt.

Treasures include the Takeda Fudo, a statue said to have been carved on Shingen's order, now under restoration. The separately ticketed Shingen-ko Treasure Hall deepens the visit. The grounds also hold the Founder's Hall, Yanagisawa Mausoleum and a three-story pagoda.

Open 8:30-16:30 (last entry 16:15), every day. Admission is 500 yen for adults and 300 yen for students; parking is free. Take the Nishizawa-keikoku bus from Enzan Station to Erin-ji-mae, or drive from Katsunuma IC. Allow about 90 minutes. The area around the temple lay where the Chichibu-okan and Kanayama roads crossed, and its Sengoku-period temple lands held regular markets called Mikka-ichiba and Kokonoka-ichiba. Mikka-ichiba survives as the district name Enzan Mikka-ichiba.