Tenkai

Portrait painting of Tenkai by Kimura Ryotaku (Rinnoji temple)

Tenkai(Japanese:Thiên hải,1536–13 November 1643)was a JapaneseTendaiBuddhist monk of theAzuchi-Momoyamaand earlyEdoperiods. He achieved the rank ofDaisōjō,the highest rank of the priesthood. HisBuddhist namewas firstZuifū(Tùy phong),which he changed to Tenkai in 1590. Also known asNankōbō Tenkai(Nam quang phường thiên hải),he died on 13 November 1643, and was granted theposthumous titleofJigen Daishi(Từ nhãn đại sư)in 1648.

Tenkai was atKita-in(then written bắc viện ) inKawagoein 1588, and became abbot in 1599. He was on the advisor ofTokugawa Ieyasu,and served as a liaison between theTokugawa Shogunateand theImperial Court in Kyoto.One of his projects was the rebuilding ofEnryaku-ji,which had been devastated byOda Nobunaga.He also revitalized Kita-in, and changed the characters of its name to hỉ đa viện. Nearing death in 1616, Ieyasu entrusted Tenkai with his last will regarding matters of his funeral and his posthumous name. Tenkai selectedgongenrather thanmyōjin,and after death Ieyasu became known as Tōshō Daigongen.

Tenkai continued to serve as a consultant to the next twoTokugawa shōguns.In 1624, retired shōgunTokugawa Hidetadaand ruling shōgunTokugawa Iemitsuasked him to establishKan'ei-ji,a Buddhist temple to the northeast ofEdo CastleinUeno.

There are several theories concerning his early life. Some fiction writers postulate that he was in actualityAkechi Mitsuhide.It is not certain whether Mitsuhide died at theBattle of Yamazakior not, and some suppose that he survived and began a new life as the priest Tenkai.

In popular media

• Tenkai appears as the main villain in thefirstSakura Warsgame.
• Tenkai appears as the video gameRyū ga Gotoku Kenzan!.He is the overarching secondary antagonist and final boss.
• In the gameSengoku Basara 3and the animeSengoku Basara: The Last Partythe character Tenkai is portrayed as a cryptic monk who speaks in riddles and wields twin scythes. As with the rumor above, Tenkai is actually a re-skinned model of Akechi Mitsuhide, from the game and anime's predecessor. As of theUTAGEupgrade of the third game, the series established both Tenkai and Mitsuhide as a same person.
• In theOnimusha series,Samanosuke Akechitook on the identity of Tenkai inOnimusha: Dawn of Dreams.
• In the video gameShin Megami Tensei IVTenkai appears as a National Defense Divinity once the party reaches a later portion of Tokyo.
• In the anime and light novelsMirage of Blaze,Tenkai's name has been mentioned in a crucial part of the story arc, being that an old incantation of his that he had invoked centuries ago would be the key for Lord Kagetora Uesugi and his team to stop their enemies in controlling the Feudal Underworld and the living world.
• He appears in the mobile gameFate/Grand Orderas an antagonist of the event GUDAGUDA Imperial Capital Grail. He is trulyAkechi Mitsuhideand he quickly reveals his identity.
• Tenkai appears in the gamesNiohandNioh 2,as both a Buddhist monk and a powerfulonmyōjithat helps the protagonists of both games. As with most works of fiction involving Tenkai, his real identity is that ofAkechi Mitsuhide.In the games, his betrayal ofOda Nobunagawas a result of being manipulated by the sequel's antagonist Kashin Koji, becoming the monk "Tenkai" to repent for his crimes.

Gallery

• 
  Rule of Shimotsukie written by Tenkai
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  Tenkai established Kan'ei-ji in 1624
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  Tenkai's grave
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  Jigendo in Sakamoto, Otsu

References

• KITAIN site(in English)
• Kaneiji Temple(Japanese)
• Kaneiji Temple(English)
• Tokyo government(IPA, an agency of the Government of Japan)(in Japanese)
• Nikko Sightseeing association official website(in Japanese)