Danrij-ji is a temple built on the ruins of the old, new buildings decorated with cranes and imperial seals upon the tiles. No sooner had we set foot in the grounds than a friendly old man ushered us into the treasure house and explained about the statues and scrolls. In broken English he had Rhod pray, kneel and sound a Buddhist gong (peddling charms and amulets before we left), while dragons coiled about swords and the remains of the temple sat in sad looking glass cases. I have never felt so close to being in a jumble sale. Priceless art, ceramics, buddhas and calligraphy crammed into every available space, the gargoyles and embellishments of the old temple piled to one side. It was amazing and shocking in equal measure. Most museums in Japan would not have half the items on display in their entire collection. Outside there was little to see and less to comment on, but the experience was an interesting one.
Danrin-ji was established by the wife of Emperor Saga, a beautiful art-loving woman by the name of Tachibana Kachiko (786-850). She intended the small temple to be a school for the Tachibana family and named it 'Rengeshoja', one of many important religious houses in Saga, town of nobles. The empress installed the Chinese priest Gikuu as master and it was he that introduced an early form of Zen. Danrin-ji expanded and included 12 sub-temples, including Shokongou-in. Although it fell on hard times, a small part of the countless treasures it amassed can be seen still.
