岐阜県下呂市、玉龍寺。1300年の歴史を未来へつなぎたい。

Gyokuryu-ji Temple, Gero City, Gifu Prefecture

1300 years of history to be passed on to the future

Gyokuryu-ji Temple, an ancient Zen temple in Gero City, Gifu Prefecture, was founded approximately 1,300 years ago by Gyoki in the Nara period (710-794). During the Kamakura period (1185-1333), the temple attracted Buddhist statues of famous priests and high priests from all over Japan. In recent years, the temple has become popular among many people as a "Momiji-dera'' temple with beautiful autumn leaves and as a power spot where dragons dwell.

In the Hida area of Gifu Prefecture is a sacred site called the Japanese navel. The Gyokuryu-ji Temple protects the sacred mountain on the south side of the site, where gods and Buddha live together.

At Gyokuryu-ji, renovation projects are underway for the temple's gate, bell tower, and chinju-do hall in connection to the generational change of the temple's chief priest in 2020.
  
We are challenging crowdfunding in the hope that more and more people will connect with Gyokuryuji Temple and that we can create an opportunity for them to be blessed with luck by the gods and Buddha and enrich their lives. We would appreciate your warm support.

｜Benten-do

Every temple has a Shinto shrine, where a deity is enshrined to protect the temple grounds. About 10 years ago, a typhoon caused a tree to fall on the main shrine of Gyokuryu-ji Temple, the Benten-do hall. At the time, only the sacred body was temporarily kept in the main hall. The most important thing was to fix up the shrine of the god who protects the temple.

｜Belfry

The roof of the bell tower, which was originally made of cypress bark, had a big hole and was leaking several years ago because it was getting old. As a temporary fix for the damage to the frame, blue sheets were used to cover the roof. Because fixing with cypress bark is the most expensive and doesn't last as long, a titanium roof was planned to protect against acid rain and save money.

In addition, the tall pine trees that had served to protect the cypress bark of the gate and bell tower had died due to pine weevil damage, and the distance between the bell tower and the gate had become unnaturally close.

｜Sanmon Gate

The roof of the gate used to be made of cypress bark, just like the roof of the bell tower. However, because of cost concerns, only the roof of the gate was changed to tiles before the roof of the bell tower. The gates (kugurido) on both sides of the temple gate were still hiwadabuki roofed, but they too were in a state of severe deterioration due to age.

It was said that the gate had been slightly tilted since it was knocked down by the strong winds of the Ise Bay Typhoon. The plan for this renovation was to raise the gate and adjust the height of the foundation stone, but due to cost issues, it was decided to leave the foundation stone in place and only install a new paving stone. The deteriorated side gates were also torn down and replaced with new ones.

｜About the Fusuma-e Project

The original role of fusuma-e was to make it appropriate for the people who were there and the gods and Buddha who were enshrined. If there are no pictures on the fusuma, which should be in the most important place in a temple, it means that the principal image enshrined there is being treated carelessly.

The sliding screens were made by Mr. Yoshinori Shiroki, a skilled craftsman from Gifu Prefecture who also fixes up yatai (festival floats) for the Takayama Festival.

｜Ryosuke Shiroki (白木良典)

Master joiner Ryosuke Shiroki was born in Tokyo in 1942. After graduating from the wood crafts department of Gifu Hida Jitsugyo High School, he trained as a joiner at Hashimoto Kogyo Corporation (Tokyo), where he also worked on the new section of the Imperial Palace. Mr. Shiroki took over Shiroki Fittings in 1965.

Repair works
National cultural properties: Hotei-dai (Takayama City), Ryujin-dai (Takayama City), Ishibashi-dai (Takayama City), and Toyo-myo-dai (Takayama City).
Gifu Prefecture-designated cultural properties: Hida Soja Kagura-dai (Takayama City), Urashima-dai (Seki City)
Aichi Pref. designated cultural properties: Yueisha (Inuyama City), Kokkorangurankuruma (Inuyama City), Urashima-dai (Inuyama City)
Nagano designated cultural properties: Kami-Oike Maiden (Nagano), many others

Production
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple float (Chiba Prefecture)
Suwa Shrine lantern pole (Nagano Prefecture)
Danjiri (Kuse Town, Okayama Prefecture)
Metropolitan Museum of History float (Tokyo Prefecture)
Jōgan-Ji Temple main hall door (Gifu Prefecture)
Dairin-Ji Temple gate door (Aichi Prefecture)
Fukuda Temple gate door (Aichi Prefecture), and many more

Awards
1966
 First Prize (Governor's Prize), Gifu Prefecture Skills Competition, Gifu Prefecture
1998
Gifu Prefecture Excellent Fittings Exhibition, Gifu Prefecture Architects Association, Chairman's Prize
1999
Gifu Prefecture Excellent Fittings Exhibition

Professional history
Director of the Hida Fittings Cooperative Association
Director of the Gifu Fittings Industry Association
President of the Takayama Festival Stall Preservation Technology Cooperative Associatio

●Primary goal: 7 million yen

●Funds will be used to pay for fixtures and fittings for the entire temple and for the restoration of the Benten-do hall.

Kana Oiwa

Representative of Mimir LLC
 

I am very honoured to have been given the opportunity to create this beautiful temple in 3D and show it to the public in the Metaverse. I believe this is the first time that a Japanese Zen temple has been shown to the world in this way. It is a wonderful place to enjoy in the digital world, but it also needs to be preserved in the real world.

We hope that providing people with a digital simulation will make them want to go to real temples and learn more about Zen and its place in Japanese culture.

Hans Karlsson

Co-Founder, CTO, Mimir LLC
 

We are very honoured to have the opportunity to create this beautiful temple in 3D and show it to the public in the Metaverse. I believe this is the first time that a Japanese Zen temple has been shown to the world in this way. It is a wonderful place to enjoy in the digital world, but it also needs to be preserved in the real world. We hope that giving people a digital simulation will make them want to go to a real temple and learn more about Zen and its place in Japanese culture.

The goal of this VR experience is to encourage people to travel to Japan and experience a real temple to better understand Zen and its place in Japanese culture. Thanks to my friend Ikuhiko Shibata, a ceramic artist, I got to go to Gyokuryu-ji, which was a great chance. Because of this, I was able to get to know the temple's abbot better and was reminded of how good the artisans' work was. Your kindness will make this project a success, and we're very grateful to everyone who makes a contribution.

Akira Enoki

Temple carpenter
 

Trained for 10 years at Takanari Kenchiku Co.
Worked for 7 years on the ceremonial relocation of the Ise Jingu shrine
Returned to his hometown, Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, and worked for his family's architectural firm, Kenchiku Kyuemon Kenchiku.
Recognized as a master builder in Hida Takayama in 2021.

During the 1300 years that Gyokuryu-ji Temple has been around, many different craftsmen have helped build, restore, and fix it. As one of these craftsmen, I was honoured to be involved in the renovation of the Benten-do and the Belfry and the new run-out on the west side of the main hall, which was a great learning experience for me.

By maintaining such a historic temple through restoration and repair, I sincerely hope that future generations will be able to see the beautiful sliding door paintings, scenery, and other parts of the temple.

Senkyo Yamazaki
 

Zen Tea and Tea Ceremony Researcher, Flower Arrangement Artist, Visiting Professor at Kibi International University
Head of the Zen Tea and Stewardship Society 
Chairman of Waseda University's Zen Tea Society (a student-led group). 

Wabicha, a uniquely Japanese way of doing tea ceremony, was born based on Zen and tea.
Wabicha is the legacy of Japan's whole culture. It includes things like incense, flowers, gardens, and sweets.

She teaches Japanese cultural studies at universities, vocational schools, and Senkoseido dojo, where she teaches "wabicha," the origin of theJapanese tea ceremony, and "nurturing flower arranging." She is an instructor of kimono dressing.

"Live in the now."

I am guided daily by the teachings of Zen on the importance of what we should do now. For example, I love the Zen phrase "Sokkon tadaima," which is a very clear, crisp, and pleasant teaching. It stresses the importance of not only cherishing and protecting the good old things but also adopting new ideas and new things. I think this is proof that we are living in the present.

I was surprised to see an old temple, especially one in Japan, follow the latest trends. At the same time, I was reminded of how important it is to keep the Buddha's spirit alive and teach it to the next generation, so that Japan doesn't become a place where people don't know about the Buddha's teachings.

Well, isn't this an interesting experiment?

We would like to support the abbot of this modern mountain temple.

With all my heart

Senkyo Yamazaki
Zen Tea and Horticultural Society of Japan