Hokoji Temple

Hōkō-ji is a Tendai Buddhist temple in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, closely associated with Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In 1586, Hideyoshi vowed to build a Great Buddha modeled after the Nara Daibutsu. After delays and site changes, the pillar-raising ceremony for the Great Buddha Hall took place in 1591, launching a massive project that also transformed the city of Kyoto. The Great Buddha was completed in 1595, but a major earthquake the following year toppled it. Legend says Hideyoshi angrily scolded the Buddha, asking how it could not even protect itself. After Hideyoshi’s death, Tokugawa Ieyasu encouraged Yodogimi and Toyotomi Hideyori to rebuild the temple, and a new Great Buddha, hall, and massive bell were completed. The bell inscription "Kokka Antai, Kunshin Hōraku" became a political flashpoint: Ieyasu claimed it concealed a rebellious intent against the Tokugawa, a pretext that helped lead to the Winter and Summer Sieges of Osaka. The Toyotomi clan later fell, and the Great Buddha Hall collapsed again in another earthquake; the statue was ultimately lost to fire. Hōkō-ji is located near the Kyoto National Museum, and Toyokuni Shrine—dedicated to Hideyoshi—stands to its south.