Nishikawa · JP

Aizenin

Aizen-in (愛染院, full temple name Daibi-san Aizen-in) is a small Shingon temple of the Chisan branch tucked into the mountain farming hamlet of Irima, in Nishikawa town, Yamagata Prefecture. Like many rural Japanese temples it is quiet and unassuming from the road, but its origins carry a remarkably evocative story tied to one of the most violent episodes in Japanese religious history. The temple's name refers to Aizen Myoo, the fiery-red 'wisdom king' of desire and devotion in esoteric Buddhism, and the grounds are administered within the Shingon Chisan school whose head temple is Chishaku-in in Kyoto. Founded in 1917 (Taisho 6), Aizen-in is young as temples go, yet the image at its heart is said to be far older.