After
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death, his wife, Kita no Mandokoro, became a nun and was given the
dharma name "
Kōdai-in " by
Emperor Go-Yōzei in 1603. She then made a vow to build a temple to commemorate Hideyoshi's soul, and
Tokugawa Ieyasu supported the construction. Kōdai-ji was built on the grounds of once belonging to a temple called Unkō-ji, which had burned down during the
Ōnin War. The temple was begun by relocating structures from other temples in Kyoto. The Kotoku-ji, which contained the grave of Hideyoshi's mother
Ōmandokoro was located was relocated to the new site. Kōdai-in built a residence and one for her nephew
Kinoshita Toshifusa to the west of Kōdai-ji, and later that same year moved her palace and its front garden from
Fushimi Castle to make it her own residence. He also moved the abbot's quarters and a
chashitsu from Fushimi Castle. Tokugawa Ieyasu appointed
Kyoto Shoshidai Itakura Katsushige as the magistrate of construction and having his subordinate
samurai work on the construction of the temple Among them
Hori Naomasa was particularly significant, and a wooden statue of Naomasa is enshrined in the Kaisan-do Hall (Founder's Hall) of Kōdai-ji. The new temple was consecrated in 1606 as a
Sōtō sect temple. In July 1624, the temple converted from the Sōtō sect to the Rinzai sect. File:Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Kodaiji).jpg|Portrait of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, kept at Kōdai-ji's treasury, is registered as an
Important Cultural Asset Entokuin Kyoto18n4272.jpg|Gardens of Kōdai-ji 170923 Kodaiji Kyoto Japan05n.jpg|Kaisan-do KoudaijiOtamaya.jpg|Otamaya File:Kodaiji-2002-0098.jpg|Ihō-an, a teahouse in the temple's grounds File:Kōdaiji Temple sakura blossoms (51473589649).jpg|Hashin-tei
gravel garden in spring The temple possesses a number of objects designated as
Important Cultural Assets. Among these are the
Sanmon and the Otamaya, noted for its use of
maki-e. Lacquerware has a tradition at this temple. The temple is nicknamed the "
maki-e temple". One of the
maki-e patterns used on a
natsume tea utensil is called
Kōdai-ji bun natsume (高台寺文棗), featuring the
imperial chrysanthemum seal and the
paulownia seal of the regent. The treasury also holds paintings, including one of Hideyoshi, as well as textiles, and a bronze
bell with an inscription dating it to 1606. == See also ==