Kenchō-ji
| Kenchō-ji 建長寺 | |
|---|---|
Kenchō-ji, Sanmon | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Kenchō-ji Rinzai |
| Deity | Jizō Bosatsu (Kṣitigarbha) |
| Status | Head Temple, Five Mountain Temple (Kamakura) |
| Location | |
| Location | 8 Yamanouchi, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture |
| Country | Japan |
| Geographic coordinates | 35°19′54.44″N 139°33′19.25″E / 35.3317889°N 139.5553472°E |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | Hōjō Tokiyori and Rankei Doryū (Lanxi Daolong) |
| Completed | 1253 |
| Website | |
| www | |
Kenchō-ji (建長寺) is a Rinzai Zen temple in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, which ranks first among Kamakura's so-called Five Great Zen Temples (the Kamakura Gozan) and is the oldest Zen training monastery in Japan. These temples were at the top of the Five Mountain System, a network of Zen temples started by the Hōjō Regents. Still very large, it originally had a full shichidō garan and 49 subtemples. It was founded by Chinese monk Lanxi Daolong, also known as Rankei Doryū, of the Song dynasty at the invitation of Hōjō Tokiyori. The temple was constructed on the orders of Emperor Go-Fukakusa and completed in 1253, fifth year of the Kenchō era, from which it takes its name.
The sangō is Kofukusan (巨福山).