The History of Natadera
In ancient times, the lofty form of Mount Hakusan, which towers over Natadera
as though in an embrace, was said to be the home of a pure, beautiful and serene
goddess.therefore It's regarded as a sacred place, and became the object of this
faith.
At the beginning of the Nara Period, Priest Taicho who came to be known as the
Koshi no Taitoko.climbed that white mountain, and he realized that the goddess
of Hakusan was the same one as the Eleven-Headed Kannon. He came to be very distinguished,
as a venenation priest.
In the first year of the Yoro Era, he carved the image of the Thousand-Armed Kannon which had appeared in his prophetic vision, and enshrined it in the rocky caves. It named as Jissho-zan Iwaya-dera (literally translation is the White Life Mountain Temple of the Stone Room), the temple thrived thanks to Taicho's many followers, and also to the mountaineering ascetics of Hakusan. This is said to be the origins of the creation of Natadera.
The Christening by the Tonsured Emperor Kazan
During the middle of the Heian Period, in the second year of the Kanna Era (986
C.E.), Emperor Kazan went in pilgrimage and he felt the that all of the"The
thirty-three sacred places of Kannon that I have been searching for are on this
mountain," and taking both of the first character from the first place of
the thirty-three places of the western country, Nachi-zan, and the first character
of the thirty-third place, Tanigumi-san, he christened Natadera, and became the
founder of the revival of temple.
Emperor Kazan was the first son of the Emperor Reizei, and was the 65th emperor.
At the age of 17 he ascended the throne, but he grieved over his favorite concubine's
death.
He saccumbed to the schemes of Fujiwara no Kaneie, he relinquished the throne
after only two years. Taking the tonsure, he frequently made pilgrimages to various
places.
In the middle ages,during the Nanboku-cho Period, the military forces of Ashikaga
Takauji took over the temple and made it to a stronghold. Nitta Yoshisada won
the battle against Ashikaga forces, As a result, the whole mountain and all of
the temple buildings suffered the tragedy of complete destruction.
Also, during the Ikko peasant uprisings, the numbers of Natadera's followers and monks who believed in this sect was converted to Jodoshin Sect, the power of Natadera was weakened gradually. The middle ages were a trying age for Natadera but a small group of faithful risked their lives to save the temple, and that faith in Kannon and the Hakusan ascetics was not lost.
The Rebuilding by Lord Maeda Toshitsune
As the Edo Period approached, a great turning point occurred. Lamenting the ruins
of the temple grounds, the third Kaga Daimyo, Maeda Toshitsune received the rights
to revere the late emperor Gomizuno-o-in in the 17th year of Kan-ei (1640 C.E.)
Employing the expert artisan Yamagami Zen-emon, he had buit the inner shrine
in the rocky caves as well as the outer shrine, the Chinese-style arched gate,
the 3-story pagoda, incense-burning pavillion, the bell tower and the residence.
The residence was finished first, and it is said that Lord Toshitsune lived there in order to oversee the work of Yamagami Zen-emon. The garden that can be seen from the study hall was designed under the guidance of the founder of the Enshu School of Tea ceremony, and was built by the landscape gardener Wakebe Bokusai of the Kaga clan.
These are all now designated as either National Important Cultural Assets or as Nationally Designated Scenic Spots.
One of the most important things happened of the Edo Period was the visit Natadera by the famous haiku poet, Matsuo Basho. While traveling along his "Oku no Hosomichi", in July of the second year of Genroku (1689 C.E.), he visited the Yamanaka hot springs with his disciple Sora. On August 5th, after parting with Sora, he traveled with a disciple from Kanazawa named Hokushi to Natadera.
Unlike now, the region was much famous more for the picturesque shape of the ancient pine trees than for its autumn foliage at that time. "Ishiyama no ishi yori shiroshi aki no kaze" (Translation in English: From the rocky crag, even whiter than the rocks, blows the autumn wind.)
A common interpretation of the ishiyama(rocky crag) of this poem was that it referred to the Ishiyama Temple of Omi, but this is now just a minority opinion. It would perhaps be better to take a more straightforward interpretation of the poem, that before one eyes the weatherbeaten rocky mountain seems to expand, and the wind that blows there is even whiter, more refreshing, than the worn rocks.
After the Meiji Restoration, under the influence of the anti-Buddhist sentiment of haibutsu-kishaku (the suppression of Buddhism, when Shinto influence was removed from Buddhist temples), the temple suffered for a while, but in the beginning of the Showa Era, new plans for reconstruction were developed.
Furthermore, in the 16th year of Showa, after the designation of all the buildings
which had been connected with Lord Toshitsune as national treasures, the restoration
of the temple was accelerated. In the second year of Heisei, the new central
worship pavillion, the Kondo Keo-den was completed.
Taicho and Natadera, A Faith in Nature
Natadera is currently recognized as a special head temple of the Koyasan Shingon
Sect, and as such, carries out the various religious services and prayers of
Esoteric Shingon Buddhism. On the one hand the simple religious and life views
of our ancestors still survive even now.
One example of this would be the "mother's womb" of the inner shrine. Ancient people believed that man's soul moved in an endless cycle from this world to that one, transmigration. The caves represent the mother's womb, and are a place were one can free the body of various sins in this life, and can offer up prayers for the next life.
Unlike modern people who can just go to a supermarket and buy some meat or fish, ancient people had to take another life in order to make their food perhoops they felt the necessity of washing themselves because of cleaning the impurities and sins that arose from their struggle to survive by passing through the caves.
The forest of Natadera is home to all manner of living beings, and in a sense, are a microcosm of "Mother Nature." Through Mt. Hakusan or the inner shrine, while worshipping of nature and the universe, we call upon the native spirits that reside deep within our hearts. The forest of Natadera is a space where we can realize the truth of living together.
Taicho brought to Natadera from Mount Yoshino the teachings of Jinenchi (the Wisdom of Nature.) According to the teaching, nature itself is a god, and revering this god, while meditating within nature, one will realize the wisdom that awaits. Both Tonsured Emperor Kazan and Lord Maeda Toshitsune designed the temple gardens to be a version of the Pure Land of Kannon, here on this earth. This is not a glorious creation of paradise, but a statement that the ideal pure land would be a world enveloped by a nature that is simple and beautiful. Therefore, it can be said that the natural inner shrine of Natadera lies within the Eleven-headed Thousand-Armed Kannon, the sacred mountain Hakusan, and the fantastic rocky crag paradise land.
Now, Natadera is attempting to resurrect the teachings of Taicho and the ancient belief of Hakusan. Reviving the Hakusan belief, which is itself an amalgamation of modern science and environmental concerns, while preserving the light of Buddhist traditions that has burned for 1300 years, we aim for the creation of a new perception for the way religion should be.
