Country Japan Completed 1578 Affiliation Jōdo Shinshū | Founder Tanio Yoshimura Opened 1578 | |
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Location Kamino 2771, Takachiho-chō, Nishiusuki-gun, Miyazaki 882-1411 | ||
Shonen-ji (正念寺, Temple of the Correct Nembutsu) is a temple of the Jōdo Shinshū (Pure Land) school of Buddhism. It is located in Takachiho Town, Miyazaki, on Kyūshū, Japan's southernmost main island.
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The Shonen-ji temple complex is situated at the base of Genbuzan mountain, about 12 km outside central Takachiho. It was established there in 1578 by Tanio Yoshimura following the destruction of Genbu-jo, the Yoshimura clan's castle. Genbu-jo was burned and the principal Yoshimura family members killed when the Christian daimyo, Ōtomo Sōrin, invaded from Bungo Province in the north. According to temple records, Tanio Yoshimura experienced a revelation following the loss of the castle and then committed himself and his successors to a religious life in atonement for the many deaths that had occurred.
In accordance with Jōdo Shinshū tradition, the position of head priest at Shonen-ji is hereditary through the eldest son. The present head priest, Junsho Yoshimura (b. 1958), is the seventeenth generation of his family to serve at Shonen-ji. Shonen-ji is unique (June 2011) among Japanese temples in that the English wife of the head priest is herself an ordained Kiyoshi (senior priest).
In May 2006, Shonen-ji established a branch temple in the Kishinoue section of central Takachiho. The Kishinoue Kaikan (see image below) includes a meeting hall, a mausoleum, and an English school.