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((Short description|Buddhist temple in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan))
((More citations needed|date=July 2021))
((Infobox religious building
| name = Head Temple Taiseki-ji
| native_name = 多宝富士大日蓮華山 大石寺
| image = Hōan-dō of Taiseki-ji in 2009-11.jpg
| alt =  Taiseki-ji Hōandō
| caption = The Hōandō
| location = Foot of [[Mount Fuji]] in [[Fujinomiya, Shizuoka|Fujinomiya]], [[Shizuoka prefecture]]
| coordinates = ((Coord|35.282107|138.5858|format=dms|display=inline,title|type:landmark_region:JP_scale:10000))
| religious_affiliation = [[Buddhism]]
| sect = [[Nichiren Shōshū]]
| deity = The "[[Dai Gohonzon]] of the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings"
| country = [[Japan]]
| website = http://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/
| founded_by = [[Nikkō Shonin]]
| groundbreaking = 1290
))

'''((Nihongo|Tahō Fuji Dainichirenge-san Taiseki-ji|多宝富士大日蓮華山 大石寺))''', more commonly just '''((Nihongo|Sōhonzan Taiseki-ji|総本山大石寺))''', informally known as '''((Nihongo|Head Temple Taiseki-ji|大石寺|))''', is the administrative center of [[Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism]]. It is located in the foothills of [[Mount Fuji]] in Kamijo, [[Fujinomiya, Shizuoka|Fujinomiya]], [[Shizuoka Prefecture]], [[Japan]].<ref>Nichiren Shoshu Temple. “Taisekiji” Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice, NST, 2003, pp. 127–128.</ref><ref>((cite web |title=Taisekiji Temple |url=http://shizuoka-guide.com/english/detail/page/detail/4690 |website=Shizuoka Guide |publisher=Shizuoka Prefectural Tourism Association |accessdate=25 May 2020 |quote=Name: Taisekiji Temple Postal Code: 418-0108 Address: 2057 Kamijo, Fujinomiya City))</ref><ref>Brannen, Noah. "A Visit to Taisekiji, Head Temple of Soka Gakkai." Contemporary Religions in Japan (1961): 13–29.</ref>
Taiseki-ji was founded in 1290 by [[Nikkō Shōnin]], one of [[Nichiren Daishonin]]'s senior disciples, on a land parcel donated by the pious believer Daigyo Sonrei, commonly known as Nanjo Tokimitsu (1259–1332).<ref>Nichiren Shoshu Temple. “Taisekiji” Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice, NST, 2003, pp. 127–128.</ref><ref>((cite web |title=Head Temple Taisekiji: The Origin |url=https://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/eng/taisekiji.html |website=Nichiren Shoshu |accessdate=23 May 2020))</ref>

The Head Temple is the home of the [[Dai Gohonzon]], Nichiren Shoshu's object of worship, which draws pilgrim believers from various countries. The temple's open grounds are open to the public for sightseeing, though its religious buildings are restricted only to registered believers.<ref>Nichiren Shoshu Temple. "Taisekiji" Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice, NST, 2003, pp. 127–128.</ref><ref>((cite book |last1=Lee, Jonathan H. X. |title=Japanese Americans: The History and Culture of a People |date=November 10, 2017 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=286 |quote=...pilgrimage to Taisekiji has always been essential.))</ref> Accordingly, adherents of the [[Soka Gakkai]] are not permitted entrance to the Head Temple grounds.<ref>((cite book |last1=Lee, Jonathan H. X. |title=Japanese Americans: The History and Culture of a People |date=November 10, 2017 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=286 |quote=Since the occlusion of the group by Nichiren Shoshu in 1991, Soka Gakkai members have been prohibited from entering Taisekiji.))</ref>

==Description==
[[File:New and Old Rokuman-Tō of Taiseki-ji.jpg|thumb|The ''Rokumanto'', two Buddhist [[Stupa]]s erected by 24th High Priest Nichiei Shonin (1704) and another by 67th High Priest Nikken Shonin (1994) representing Bodhisattva [[Visistacaritra]] and the 60,000 [[Ganges River]]s preached by [[Shakyamuni Buddha]] within the Chapter 15 of the [[Lotus Sutra]]. ]]
Taiseki-ji is Nichiren Shoshu's administrative center, and its ((Nihongo|chief abbot|貫主|Kanzu)) Chief Priest is simultaneously the high priest (((Nihongo|法主|Hossu))) of Nichiren Shoshu. The current 68th High Priest is [[Nichinyo Hayase]] (1935 – Present) who assumed the position on 16 December 2005.<ref>McLaughlin, L., 2012. SŌKA GAKKAI IN JAPAN. Handbook of Contemporary Japanese Religions, 6, p. 269.</ref>

Taiseki-ji is the home of the [[Dai Gohonzon]], Nichiren Shoshu's object of worship.<ref>Nichiren Shoshu Temple. “Dai-Gohonzon” Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice, NST, 2003, p. 124.</ref><ref>Nichiren Shoshu Temple. “Taisekiji” Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice, NST, 2003, pp. 127–128.</ref> This image is visited by believers who come on personal pilgrimages, to participate in regular ceremonies, or to take part in large events such as study programs, and similar large meetings.<ref>Nichiren Shoshu Temple. “Taisekiji” Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice, NST, 2003, pp. 127–128.</ref>  The temple is known for numerous historically significant buildings and gardens, national cultural assets, as well as features like the old weeping cherry trees that line its ''Tatchū Sando'' (main path lined with lodging temples).<ref>((cite web |title=Taisekiji Temple |url=http://shizuoka-guide.com/english/detail/page/detail/4690 |website=Shizuoka Guide |publisher=Shizuoka Prefectural Tourism Association |accessdate=25 May 2020 |quote=One of the best spots for Cherry Blossoms. You can walk through 5000 trees of sakura cherry blossoms and find exquisite sceneries. Mt.Fuji behind sakura trees is especially spectacular on a fine day. Best season comes during late-Mar through early-Apr. You can also enjoy the five-story stupa of the national cultural property inside the temple.))</ref><ref>((cite web |title=大石寺(タイセキジ) |url=https://hellonavi.jp/detail/page/detail/1081 |website=Hello Navi Shizuoka |publisher=公益社団法人 静岡県観光協会 / Shizuoka Tourism Association |accessdate=25 May 2020 |quote=シダレザクラとソメイヨシノが見事に咲き誇る名所。広大な境内には5000本以上の桜が咲き乱れ、情緒あふれる美しい風景を見せる。特に晴れた日の富士山をバックにした桜は絶景。見ごろは3月下旬～4月上旬。境内には国の重要文化財「五重塔」もある（建物内見学不可）。))</ref>

==History== 
[[File:Nichiren by Kano Tsunenobu (Honmonji).jpg|thumb|Portrait of [[Nichiren Daishonin]] by Japanese artisan [[Kano Tsunenobu]] (1636—1713), now preserved at Nichiren Shoshu Honmonji Temple in [[Mitoyo, Kagawa]] prefecture. Measuring approximately 40” inches by 22” inches on silk, [[Edo period]]. ]]
According to Nichiren Shoshu tradition, Taiseki-ji was founded in 1290 by Nichiren's disciple Nikkō on a tract of land called ((Nihongo|Ōishigahara|大石ケ原 "great stone meadow")) donated by the district steward, ''Nanjo Shichiro Jiro Hyoe Taira no Tokimitsu'' (Buddhist name: ''Daigyo Sonrei'') (1259–1332). The name derives from an alternative reading of the [[kanji]] for Ōishi (大石), ''Tai (Big) - Seki (Stone)'', and the character ''Ji'' (寺), temple.

Tokimitsu was a lay follower of [[Nichiren]]'s and consequently Nikko Shonin. Taiseki-ji started with one small temple building, the ''Mutsubo'' with six rooms, but grew gradually as Nikkō's disciples built sub-temples. It went through further growth phases during the mid-[[Edo period]] and after the [[Second World War]].

According to Nichiren Shoshu doctrine, their religious founder Nichiren willed that the image be established with a national shrine at the foot of Mount Fuji with a special title named "Honmonji" when the conversion of the [[Japanese Emperor]] and widespread propagation was achieved.

Due to its strong prohibition against accepting monetary donations from non-believers, there is no [[offertory box]] available at the temple. Believers are confirmed to be registered members before they are allowed to give "Gokuyo" or offerings. There is also no ''[[Shuin|Goshuincho]]'' (御朱印帳 or "red stamping" of [[Daimoku]] or [[Talisman]] booklets normally sold to tourists, considered by the religion to be a form of [[sacrilege]].

In addition, neither the Head Temple nor the religious stores outside Taiseki-ji accept any currency besides [[Japanese Yen]] towards any donation offerings, memorial service fees, food and lodging fees or any religious merchandise transactions.

==Activities at the Head Temple==
[[File:Nanjotokimitsu haka.jpg|thumb|The gravestone [[Stupa]] of Lord Nanjo Tokimitsu, land donor of Taisekiji. By the Myorenji Temple. ]]

===Gongyo===
((unreferenced section|date=July 2021))

The Buddhist service of "Gongyo" (勤行 , Persevering Action) is the basic supplemental service of Hokkeko believers. It is conducted first as the [[Ushitora Gongyo]] at the Dai Kyakuden (Grand Reception Hall), among other places throughout the Head Temple. In past centuries, the service was performed in five different locations:

* Facing the [[sunrise]] direction 
* Facing the Mieido
* Facing the Gohozo
* Facing the Kyakuden
* Facing the Mutsubo

The sect, along with the other Fuji sects in the area, followed the custom of reciting the Sutra chapters according to what Nichiren himself once did:

* Junyoze — Reciting the prose (散文, "Sanbun") of Chapter 2 
* Seoge — Reciting the verse (自我偈, "Jigage") of Chapter 2
* Chogyo —  Reciting the prose ("Sanbun") of Chapter 16 
* Nyorai Juryo — Reciting the verse ("Jigage") of Chapter 16

During the 1930s, the Gongyo service was shortened to a single format, initiated by religious convert [[Tsunesaburo Makiguchi]] and was approved by 57th High Priest Nissho Shonin. Today, some Nichiren sects in the Mount Fuji area recite the full versions of the 2nd and 16th Chapter of the Lotus Sutra.

The current version of Gongyo since the 1930s is the recitations of Chapter 2 in prose and Chapter 16 in prose and verse along with the five morning and three evening silent prayers (五座三座, Goza-Sanza) for the purpose of the following:

# Receiving protection from the Buddhist gods (Shoten Zenjin)
# Prayer to the Dai Gohonzon 
# Prayer for lineage of the priesthood
# Conversion of the [[Emperor of Japan]] and [[Kosen-rufu|widespread propagation]]
# Prayers for deceased ancestors and their rebirth in [[Hokkeko]]

Additional services such as funeral, prolonged chanting (Shodai) and other commemoration  ceremonies for historical personalities associated with the Head Temple are also conducted.

===Tozan pilgrimages=== 
Pilgrimage to Taiseki-ji draws adherents of Nichiren Shoshu annually through group trips that are planned by local branch temples, as well as private individual trips. This pilgrimage in the sectarian parlance is called "Tozan" (登山, "Mountaineering, to climb the mountain") for the purpose of worshipping the Dai Gohonzon in person. The sect bases this practice in the ancient custom of early supporters of Nichiren who also visited him during his lifetime over perilous roads and mountains, now re-interpreted as a similar pilgrimage towards the Dai Gohonzon, which represents Nichiren in a mandala format.<ref>((Cite web|url=https://nstny.org/getting-started|title=What is Tozan?))</ref><ref>Nichiren Shoshu Temple. "Taisekiji" Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice, NST, 2003, pp. 127–128.</ref><ref>Nichiren Shoshu Temple. "The Importance of Tozan." Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice, NST, 2003, pp. 92–94.</ref><ref>((cite book |last1=Lee, Jonathan H. X. |title=Japanese Americans: The History and Culture of a People |date=November 10, 2017 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |page=286 |quote=...pilgrimage to Taisekiji has always been essential.))</ref><ref>Nichiren Shoshu Temple. "The Importance of Tozan." Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice, NST, 2003, p. 94.</ref>

=== The Gokaihi ceremony ===
In Japan, a "Gokaihi" (御開扉, English: "Sacred Opening of ([[Butsudan]]) Doors") is a ceremonial rite that exposes a particular sacred Buddhist image that is hidden and revered in a particular religion or sect. In Nichiren Shoshu ritual practices, this refers to the ceremonial audience with the Dai Gohonzon officiated by the High Priest granted to Hokkeko believers who have personally requested to participate, which is oftentimes the main purpose of a pilgrimage visit to the Head Temple. The volition of [[free will]], confirmation of registered membership and an offertory fee is part of the protocol to enter the Hoando building to participate in the service.<ref>Nichiren Shoshu Temple. "The Importance of Tozan." Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice, NST, 2003, pp. 97-98.</ref><ref>Nichiren Shoshu Temple. “l"Dai-Gohonzon" Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice, NST, 2003, p. 124.</ref><ref>Nichiren Shoshu Temple. "The Importance of Tozan." Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice, NST, 2003, p. 99.</ref>

==List of buildings==
The following significant buildings are listed for their historical and architectural value:((Citation needed|date=July 2019))

===''Sanmon'' gate===
[[File:Sanmon_of_Taiseki-ji_in_2009-11(2).jpg|thumb|The ''Sanmon'' gate (older model)]]
The ''[[Sanmon]]'' (written 三門, sometimes 山門) gate is Taiseki-ji's "main front door" and has been designated as a Shizuoka prefectural cultural asset. It was built in 1717 with financial assistance from Lady Hiroko Konoe (also known as “Tennei-in”), the daughter of Imperial Princess Tsuneko and wife of sixth Shōgun [[Tokugawa Ienobu]].  A Gohonzon transcribed by 25th High Priest Nichiyu Shonin is enshrined within its upper floor. At the time, she donated 300 [[ryō]] for its construction. Positioned next to public government roads, it was significantly [[vandalism|vandalized]] and defaced with [[graffiti]] in 1997. It was recently restored, and its Gohonzon  was ceremoniously re-enshrined within again on 15 January 2021.

===''Mutsubō''===
[[FIle:Mutsubo of Taiseki-ji.jpg|thumb|left|The ''Mutsubō'']]
The first ((Nihongo|Mutsubō|六壷|)) was erected in 1290 as Taiseki-ji's first building. It has been rebuilt many times since, but the Gohonzon (object of veneration) it houses is attributed to temple founder Nikkō Shōnin dating from November 1332. It maintains its original design of having six rooms.<ref>((Cite web|url=http://blog.livedoor.jp/saikakudoppo/archives/50865483.html|title = 犀の角のように独り歩め:大石寺六壺安置の日興本尊も贋作))</ref> The current structure, which uses much [[zelkova serrata|''keyaki'']] heartwood, was completed in 1988. The High Priest of Nichiren Shoshu proceeds to the Mutsubō on concluding [[Ushitora Gongyo]] in the Kyakuden (see below) to perform another gongyo recitation with young priests and acolytes.((Citation needed|date=July 2019))

===''Kyakuden''===
[[File:Taisekiji-Kyakuden-sakura-Fuji.JPG|thumb|[[Cherry blossom]]s near the ''Kyakuden'']]
The ((Nihongo|Kyakuden| 客殿 "Reception Hall")) is one of the central structures where the majority of ceremonies are held, including Ushitora Gongyo by each successive High Priest every morning. It was built in 1465 and later rebuilt in 1998.<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/eng/taisekiji-buildings.html|title = Nichiren Shoshu &#124; Taisekiji main buildings))</ref>

The ''Kyakuden'' was rebuilt as the ((Nihongo|Dai-Kyakuden| 大客殿 "Grand Reception Hall")), with the assistance of the [[Soka Gakkai]], a modern-style building inaugurated April 1964.<ref>((cite web|author=Lukas Pokorny|title=‘A Grand Stage for kōsen rufu in the Future’: Sōka Gakkai in Austria, 1961–1981|url=https://rw-ktf.univie.ac.at/fileadmin/user_upload/i_religionswiss/_A_Grand_Stage_for_koosen_rufu_in_the_Future__-_Sooka_Gakkai_in_Austria__1961-1981__Lukas_Pokorny_2014_.pdf|format=Book Chapter|year=2015))</ref> That structure, was demolished in September 1995 and rebuilt as the current Kyakuden in 1998 with its wood-clad steel-framed edifice.((Citation needed|date=May 2020)) The priesthood cited the Dai-Kyakuden's imposing ferroconcrete mass as incongruent with the architectural tone appropriate for a temple compound.((Citation needed|date=May 2020))
 
The ''Kyakuden'' is the site of [[Ushitora Gongyo]], a daylight prayer service officiated by the High Priest or his proxy.  The Ozagawari Joza Gohonzon, original paper on 13 October 1290  ("Gohonzon of the Seat of the Dharma") was rendered into wood and carved on 15 June 1706, now enshrined on the central altar on the second floor of the Kyakuden.

This 1706 wooden mandala is flanked by lifesize statues of Nichiren Daishonin (left) and Nikkō Shōnin (right) as a symbolic representation of “San—Po” or “Three Treasures style”, though the “Object of Worship” remains the central mandala. The two grand statues were carved in 1660 during the reign of 17th High Priest Nissei Shonin. ((Citation needed|date=July 2019))

===''Mieidō''===
[[File:Taosekiji mieido01.jpg|thumb|The ''Mieido'' Image Hall]]
[[File:Araba.jpg|thumb|A carving of a [[Fenghuang]] rooster on an ''Mieido'' Image Hall transom]]
The ''Mieido'' (image hall, 御影堂) is the ''hondō'' (本堂) or main official hall of Taisekiji temple. It traces its history to a building called the Mido (Midō: 御堂) erected by Nikko Shonin when he founded Taisekiji in 1290. It takes its name from a lifesize image of Nichiren sculpted by Japanese Buddhist artisan ''Echizen Hōkyō Kaikei'', a carver of Buddhist images. This image was enshrined in the year 1388 in a building that was then replaced in 1522. The current, classical structure was erected in 1632 with donations from the Lady Manhime Ogasawara (Also known as ''Kyōdai-in''), who was the wife of Lord [[Hachisuka Yoshishige]] of the [[Tokushima Castle]].((Citation needed|date=July 2019)). The building is designed similarly to a [[Kabuki-za]] theater  filled with various ornaments. In 1680 ([[Enpō]] year), the Dai Gohonzon image was stored here for safekeeping. An enlarged statue of Nichiren is enshrined in front of the Mandala as the aesthetic of the building represents various Buddhist images.

Several rounds of expansions, improvements, and repairs have been undertaken since then, and it was designated a prefectural [[Tangible Cultural Property (Japan)|tangible cultural property]] by Shizuoka Prefecture after major repairs in 1971. The most recent overhaul was finished in November 2013. The seven-year project entailed completely breaking down and reassembling the building piece by piece. All the parts were catalogued, mapped, and their condition recorded. Damaged structural members were repaired or replaced, and decorative fixtures such as [[transom (architectural)|transom]] carvings and other artwork, were painstaking restored. When the building was reassembled, aseismic structural augmentation (dampers) was installed to protect it from earthquake damage. New [[gold leaf]] was applied to the indoor pillars, and all exposed surfaces were finished with [[vermilion]] using traditional methods.<ref>''Nichiren Shōshū Nyūmon'' (日蓮正宗入門: "Introduction to Nichiren Shoshu"), p. 337.</ref><ref>''Taiseki-ji Information'', Taisekiji, 1992; p. 17</ref><ref>日蓮正宗総本山御影堂―寛永の再建から平成の大改修まで: "The Nichiren Shosho Head-temple Image Hall: From its Kan'ei-period reconstruction to its Heisei-period restoration", Dainichiren Publishing, 2016 (source for dates, name derivation, content of 2006–13 renovations)</ref> The building is known for its decorative transoms that depict various Buddhist deities that are believed to occupy the ''Treasure Tower of the Lotus Sutra''.
<!-- details of interior and aspects of architectural value:([[transom (architectural)|transoms]] featuring depictions of heavily beings believed to have been present in the [[Tahōtō|Treasure Tower]]　mentioned in the eleventh chapter of [[Lotus Sutra]] and mythological creature, depictions of old stories. Ceremonies held here.-->((Citation needed|date=July 2019)) A decorative [[Stupa]] is erected nearby the Mieido to commemorate the donations of Lady Manhime Ogasawara remains present to this day.

===''Hōandō''=== 
The ((nihongo|Hōandō|奉安堂)) Enshrinement Hall, built in 2002, houses the [[Dai Gohonzon]] of the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teaching, the supreme object of worship in Nichiren Shōshū.<ref>((cite web |title=Head Temple Taisekiji: Main Buildings |url=https://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/eng/taisekiji-buildings.html |website=Nichiren Shoshu |accessdate=25 May 2020))</ref><ref>((cite web |title=About Nichiren Shoshu |url=http://www.myokan-ko.net/english/index.html |website=Nichiren Shoshu Rikyobo Myokan-ko |accessdate=25 May 2020))</ref> The Hōandō is built in the style of a [[Kura (storehouse)|''Kura'' storehouse]] to signify that the Nichiren Shoshu faith has not yet taken hold as the primary religion of the world's people.((Citation needed|date=July 2019)) Nichiren Shoshu claims that Nichiren willed that the Dai Gohonzon is not to be made publicly accessible, but rather stored away and only viewed by those who have asked for and been granted an audience by the High Priest, until such time.((Citation needed|date=July 2019)) Another interpretation of this is that, as different from all other Nichiren Shoshu altars, the one in the Hōandō has neither offerings of evergreens nor drums, and non-believers are not permitted entry. Handicapped believers and their attendants<!--Guardianではありません。Guardianとは、未成年者などの保護者で、付添の方にはいいません！--> are given priority entry and seating within the building.((Citation needed|date=July 2019))

On the high altar, the ''Shumidan'', of the Hōandō is a Buddhist [[Stupa]] containing the ashes of Nichiren Daishonin (left), a grand [[Butsudan]] housing the Dai Gohonzon (center), and another stupa containing a statue of Nichiren Daishonin carved by Izumi Ajari Nippō Shōnin from the same [[camphorwood]] leftover  plank that the Dai Gohonzon was inscribed on; while pious tradition claims that Nichiren approvingly characterized the statue as an exact image of himself.((Citation needed|date=July 2019))

Taiseki-ji has traditionally regarded the Mieidō (see above) as the temple's ''[[Hondō]]'' (main hall), but only its provisional main hall until wide propagation is achieved, when the building housing the Dai Gohonzon would take over that role.((Citation needed|date=July 2019))

The Hōandō replaced the controversial name of the Shōhondō (正本堂: true [[Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism)|main hall]]), after its demolition in April 1998. (See below for details on demolished buildings)

===''Gohōzō'' and ''Hōanden''===
[[Image:Gohozo Building.jpg|thumb|left|Numerous relics from Taiseki-ji's 750-year history are kept in the ''Gohōzō'' Treasure House.]]
The ((nihongo|Gohōzō|御宝蔵)) ("Treasure House") houses various religious scrolls and paintings, and other religious and historical records, relics, and artifacts. It possesses the original ''Gosho'' documents of Nichiren conversing with the Buddhist deity [[Hachiman]], as well as a personal letter given to Lord Nanjo Tokimitsu while he was alive. In addition, all Gohonzons transcribed by Nichiren Shoshu priests are stored within this building, which are mostly taken out in April for the ''Omushibarai Ceremony''.((Citation needed|date=July 2019))

In addition, it also features modest displays of cultural objects donated by pilgrims from countries where they have attracted converts. The Hōanden (奉安殿) building, where the Dai Gohonzon was once enshrined, stands behind it.((Citation needed|date=July 2019))

===''Gojunoto'' pagoda===
[[Image:Five-storied_Pagoda(2)_of_Taiseki-ji.jpg|thumb|The ''Gojunoto'' pagoda]]
Completed on 12 June 1749 with the assistance of the Japanese [[Edo]] government, this religious [[Tō|pagoda]] was built with donations of 5,000 gold [[Ryō]] given by the daughter of Imperial Princess Tsuneko. Her daughter, the Lady Hiroko Konoe (also known as Tennei-in), who was the wife of Ienobu Tokugawa, the sixth Tokugawa Shogun gave this donation with the solemn approval of Nichikan Shonin, the 26th High Priest.

It has five stories representing the characters of 妙法蓮華經 (English: “Myo-Ho-Ren-Ge-Kyo”)  measuring at 112 feet  and faces west rather than the usual south, with a claim that Nichiren's Buddhism would spread from the East (Japan) to the Western lands; that is, back to the land of [[Shakyamuni Buddha]] and to the rest of the world.

This pagoda is the largest five-storied pagoda along the [[Tōkaidō (road)|Tōkaidō]], the historical main highway along Japan's eastern seaboard from [[Edo]] (today's [[Tokyo]]) to [[Kyoto]]. A Gohonzon transcribed by 31st High Priest Nichi-in Shonin is enshrined within, dated to 28 March 1749.

In 1966, the pagoda was designated a national cultural treasure. In 2017, it was structurally reinforced and artistically restored. Its doors are ceremoniously opened once each year on February 16 to celebrate Nichiren's birthday for the “O-tanjo ceremony”, followed by the formal opening of its doors called the “O-tobiraki ceremony”.((Citation needed|date=July 2019))

===Graves ===
* On the left rear of the Pagoda is the 1945 grave and [[Stupa]] of the first Soka Gakkai President [[Tsunesaburo Makiguchi]].((Citation needed|date=July 2019)) 
* The second [[Soka Gakkai]] president [[Josei Toda]] is located at the left front of the pagoda. His ashes were moved from Jozai-ji temple ([[Toshima]], Tokyo), and re—interred here in 2001.((Citation needed|date=July 2019))
* The debonair actor [[Keiichirō Akagi]] (1939—1961) is also buried at the L-2 ward section of the head temple cemetery, nearby the Pagoda. 

===''Daikōdō''=== 
[[File:Daikō-dō of Taiseki-ji.jpg|thumb|left|The ''Daikōdō'' [[auditorium]], built by the [[Soka Gakkai]] on 1 March 1958. Scheduled for demolition after 2021.]]
The ''Daikōdō'' ("English: Grand Auditorium") was donated by [[Soka Gakkai]], with construction began in December 1956 and completed on 1 March 1958. It houses a so-called “Mannen-Kugo” aesthetic-style design which was originally dated and inscribed by [[Nichiren]] himself in December 1274 and later co-signed by the Yoshihama Myohonji Temple located in [[Kyonan]], [[Chiba prefecture]].

A wooden transcription image of this ''Gohonzon'' was carved and signed by Taisekiji priest-sculptor named  “Eritsu Hiki [[Bhikkhu]]” (Claimed to be Mr. Takeshi Itamoto)  in January 1687 ([[Jōkyō]] year IV) assumingly in commemoration for the new incoming 30th High Priest Nitchu Shonin.

Upon the completion of this grand auditorium in 1958, the 65th High Priest Nichijun Shonin decided to enshrine this wooden ''Gohonzon'' within this building where it remains today. Presently, this Gohonzon is flanked by the two ''[[Ihai]]'' memorial tablets of second High Priest [[Nikkō Shonin]] and his successor, third High Priest [[Nichimoku]] as an expressed style aesthetic that both disciples were once able to listen to Nichiren's preaching in correlation to the purpose of the building as  an [[Auditorium]].  It is in a dilapidated condition and scheduled for demolition and reconstruction after completion of the new Sanmon gate in 2021.((Citation needed|date=July 2019))

The former highest lay leader of [[Hokkeko]] believers (''Hokkeko Sokoto''), [[Jōsei Toda]] addressed youth adherents from this building on 16 March 1958.((citation needed|date=November 2019))

==Demolished buildings==
===''Shōhondō''===
[[File:Syohondo.jpg|thumb|The ''Shōhondō'', constructed in 1972, demolished in 1998]]
[[File:KuonNoHi.jpg|thumb|upright|The "''Eternal Flame''" at the entrance of the ''Shōhondō'' (1978)]]
The ''Shōhondō'' (正本堂, True Main Hall) was a building at Taiseki-ji, which opened on 12 October 1972<ref>((cite web |title=Daisaku Ikeda becomes the third president of the Soka Gakkai |url=https://www.nst.org/sgi-faqs/the-history-of-the-relationship-between-nichiren-shoshu-and-the-soka-gakkai/2-daisaku-ikeda-becomes-third-president-of-soka-gakkai/ |website=Nichiren Shoshu Temple |accessdate=20 May 2020))</ref> and was subsequently demolished in 1998. Former [[Soka Gakkai]] President [[Daisaku Ikeda]],  who emphasized the building of monuments to the success of the movement,<ref>Hashimoto, H., & McPherson, W. (1976). Rise and Decline of Sokagakkai Japan and the United States. Review of Religious Research, 17(2), 82-92. doi:10.2307/3510626</ref> made the request to build the new structure which became the Shohondo.<ref>((cite web |title=Daisaku Ikeda becomes the third president of the Soka Gakkai |url=https://www.nst.org/sgi-faqs/the-history-of-the-relationship-between-nichiren-shoshu-and-the-soka-gakkai/2-daisaku-ikeda-becomes-third-president-of-soka-gakkai/ |website=Nichiren Shoshu Temple |accessdate=20 May 2020))</ref>

Religious professor Daniel A. Métraux claims that the Soka Gakkai placed particular importance on the building of the Shohondo, based on interpretations of doctrine not shared by the Nichiren Shoshu sect as a whole, and therefore controversy over its status arose at its construction.<ref>((cite journal |last1=Métraux |first1=Daniel A. |title=Why Did Ikeda Quit? |journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies |date=March 1980 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=57–60 |publisher=Nanzan University|doi=10.18874/jjrs.7.1.1980.55-61 |doi-access=free ))</ref>

The ''Shōhondō'' was inaugurated by the Soka Gakkai who claimed it as the "True High Sanctuary", Kaidan, which was a title disputed by conservative groups within the sect including the Myoshinko (now known as [[Kenshōkai]]) lay organisation, and the Nichiren Shoshu Priesthood.<ref>((cite web |title=Daisaku Ikeda becomes the third president of the Soka Gakkai |url=https://www.nst.org/sgi-faqs/the-history-of-the-relationship-between-nichiren-shoshu-and-the-soka-gakkai/2-daisaku-ikeda-becomes-third-president-of-soka-gakkai/ |website=Nichiren Shoshu Temple |accessdate=20 May 2020))</ref><ref>((cite journal |last1=Métraux |first1=Daniel A. |title=Why Did Ikeda Quit? |journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies |date=March 1980 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=19–60 |publisher=Nanzan University|doi=10.18874/jjrs.7.1.1980.55-61 |doi-access=free ))</ref> In Nichiren Shoshu doctrine, that sanctuary title was allegedly reserved for a future temple to be built at the base of [[Mount Fuji]] on the completion of Kosen Rufu, as solely decreed by the [[Emperor of Japan]] when the entire nation has converted to Nichiren's Buddhism.<ref>((cite journal |last1=Métraux |first1=Daniel A. |title=Why Did Ikeda Quit? |journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies |date=March 1980 |volume=7 |issue=1 |page=58 |publisher=Nanzan University|doi=10.18874/jjrs.7.1.1980.55-61 |doi-access=free ))</ref>

Métraux explained that the Soka Gakkai was reinterpreting doctrine and maintained that they could consider the ''Shōhondō'' as the "True High Sanctuary", Kaidan, about which Nichiren wrote, because through the Soka Gakkai Nichiren's philosophy was spread through Japan and was positively impacting people.<ref>((cite journal |last1=Métraux |first1=Daniel A. |title=Why Did Ikeda Quit? |journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies |date=March 1980 |volume=7 |issue=1 |page=59 |publisher=Nanzan University|doi=10.18874/jjrs.7.1.1980.55-61 |doi-access=free ))</ref> The importance of the Shohondo was, therefore, a highly contentious matter dividing the Soka Gakkai and other factions within the faith.<ref>((cite journal |last1=Métraux |first1=Daniel A. |title=Why Did Ikeda Quit? |journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies |date=March 1980 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=59–60 |publisher=Nanzan University|doi=10.18874/jjrs.7.1.1980.55-61 |doi-access=free ))</ref>

High Priest [[Nittatsu Hosoi]], clarified that the ''Shōhondō'' was not the True High Sanctuary about which Nichiren wrote, though directed the Shōhondō as a temporary home for the Dai-Gohonzon, the permanent home of the Dai-Gohonzon would be the future True High Sanctuary.<ref>((cite web |title=Daisaku Ikeda becomes the third president of the Soka Gakkai |url=https://www.nst.org/sgi-faqs/the-history-of-the-relationship-between-nichiren-shoshu-and-the-soka-gakkai/2-daisaku-ikeda-becomes-third-president-of-soka-gakkai/ |website=Nichiren Shoshu Temple |accessdate=20 May 2020))</ref>

The construction of the ''Shōhondō'' was funded largely by donations from lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu. In 1968, approximately 8 million Soka Gakkai adherents contributed money to the construction.<ref>((cite book|last1=Ikeda|first1=Kiyoaki Murata; foreword by Daisaku|title=Japan's new Buddhism: an objective account of Soka Gakkai.|date=1969|publisher=Weatherhill|location=New York|isbn=978-0834800403|page=135|edition=[1st ed.].))</ref>  An estimated grand total of ¥35,536,000,000 was raised:
* ¥ 35,064,300,000.00 came from the [[Sōka Gakkai]] lay organization.
* ¥ 313,820,000.00 from the [[Hokkekō]] lay organization 
* ¥ 157,870,000.00 from Nichiren Shoshu priests and their families.<ref>Corrigendum in Dai-Nichiren, July 1991. Published by Nichiren Shoshu.</ref>

The building was demolished in 1998, the official reason given by Nichiren Shoshu for the demolition was the discovery of rust on the pillars within the temple. Engineers discovered that ocean sand had been used in the mortar of the building, risking the Dai Gohonzon's safety during an [[earthquake]]. The school also concedes that its demolition of the Shōhondō was an extension of the doctrinal dispute between it and Sōka Gakkai, emphasizing the impiety of the organisation as [[heretic]]s for deviating from its formal doctrines of orthodoxy.<ref>Sōka Gakkai-in e no shakubuku kyōhon (Text for refuting Soka Gakkai's misrepresentations to its adherents), Taiseki-ji, 2004. pp. 330–331.</ref>

American architects [[Richard Meier]] and [[Robert A M Stern|Robert Arthur Stern]] both disparaged the demolition. Terence Riley, former chief curator of architecture and design at the [[Museum of Modern Art]] in New York opined that the planned demolition would be a "regrettable finale" to a century that has "witnessed so much loss".<ref name="WashingtonPost1998">((cite web |title=A Major Eruption At the Foot of Fuji|publisher=Washington Post |date=June 14, 1998 |website=members.aol.com |url=http://members.aol.com/watchbuddh/washpost.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19991103224830/http://members.aol.com/watchbuddh/washpost.htm |archivedate=1999-11-03)) This article is also referenced in Jane Hurst, "A Buddhist Reformation", in ''Global Citizens: The Soka Gakkai Buddhist Movement in the World'' eds. David W. Machacek, Bryan R. Wilson, Oxford University Press, 2001, p. 70</ref>

==Nearby buildings==
===Myoren-ji Temple===
((unreferenced section|date=July 2021))
[[File:Myorenji kyakuden2.jpg |thumb|Myoren-ji Temple is named in honor of the wife of Nanjo Tokimitsu.]]
An approximate thirty-minute walk from the Head Temple is Myoren-ji, which is another former “Head Temple” of the various Fuji schools which conjoined with Taisekiji in the 25 December 1950 during the proselytizing efforts of former [[Soka Gakkai]] President [[Josei Toda]]. The temple was once a former residence of Nanjo Tokimitsu, the person who donated the land of Taisekiji to Nikko Shonin. The temple's name derives from the Buddhist name (''kaimyō'') Nanjo Tokimitsu's wife, Myōren, whose historical birth name is unknown. This temple houses many historically significant artifacts, in particular, the Gohonzon enshrined in its main altar, which was transcribed by Nikko Shonin in the year 1315, and a small, decorative statue of Nichiren that is preserved as a historical remembrance. The temple is known for the unique format of its ''Oeshiki'' ceremony commemorating the death of [[Nichiren]]. Since 25 December 1950, it has been under the sacerdotal administration of the Nichiren Shoshu sect.

==Notes==
((Reflist|colwidth=26em))

==References==
* ''Nichiren Shōshū Nyūmon'' (日蓮正宗入門: "Introduction to Nichiren Shoshu"), Taiseki-ji, 2002, pp.&nbsp;336–348. (Japanese)
* ''Taisekiji'' (大石寺), Seikyo Shimbun-sha, 1971 (Japanese)

==External links==
((Commons category))
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120721025137/http://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/page/taisekiji/eng/taisekiji_e.htm The Origin of Taisekiji Temple] on the Nichiren Shoshu website.
* [http://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/page/taisekiji/eng/taisekiji_1_e.html Map of Taisekiji] on the Nichiren Shoshu website

((Buddhist temples in Japan))
((Buddhism topics))
((Authority control))

((DEFAULTSORT:Taiseki-ji))
[[Category:Buddhist temples in Shizuoka Prefecture]]
[[Category:Nichiren Buddhism]]
[[Category:1290s establishments in Japan]]
[[Category:1290 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:13th-century Buddhist temples]]
[[Category:Fujinomiya, Shizuoka]]
[[Category:Shizuoka Prefecture designated tangible cultural property]]

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