The temple was originally built in 744 by priest Gyoki. It was called
the Temple of Bodhisattva of Mt. Garyu until it was burned down in a
war in 1336. In 1700, the second son of the Owari Clan head,
Yoshiyuki Matsudaira, was assimilated by the Takasu Clan (old Kaizu).
He was the one who revived the temple in 1705 at the suggestion
of the chief priest of the Enshin Temple. The new temple was renamed
the Gyokifs Temple.
The castle-like building is situated on a mountainside. The identical
kind of stone was put to use with the Nagoya Castle (built 1613).
The power and dignity of the Takasu Clan is well-reflected upon its
temple gate, the main temple, large and small studies, kitchen and the
tomb of the ancestors. The gate was constructed in 1820 with the
Sanzon Buddha and the One Thousand Hands Kannon Buddha on top.
The statues of Buddha were donated by Jiro-Zaemon Ito in Nagoya.
The main temple we see today was rebuilt separately in 1832. |
