Affiliation Jōdo Shinshū Founder Shinran | Country Japan Completed 1226 | |
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Location Takada, Ninomiya-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi prefecture Website | ||
Senju-ji (専修寺), also known as Takadayama (高田山), is the chief Buddhist temple of the Takada branch of Jōdo Shinshū, a Japanese sect of Buddhism. Founded by Shinran in 1226, it was later named an imperial temple (勅願寺, chokuganji). Though the temple's central sacred mountain (本山, motoyama) is located in Tsu city, Mie prefecture, where Senju-ji was founded, today the head temple (本寺, hondera) is in Takata, Ninomiya town, in Tochigi prefecture.
The temple is named after the prayer chant senju-nenbutsu, and as a result of the fact that another branch built a temple called Senjō-ji; thus, a similar but different name was chosen. Named an imperial temple in 1477, Senju-ji was later elevated further, to the classification of Monzeki-dera (門跡寺) in 1574.
Today, the Takada branch has roughly 300,000 followers.