Why Wine Is Given As Offering In This Buddhist Temple In Japan

At a Buddhist temple on a wooded hillside in Japan, grapes and wine bottles are given as offerings, and the head monk is also the honorary president of a vineyard cooperative.

In a Buddhist temple on a wooded hillside in Japan, grapes and bottles of wine are offered as offerings, and the chief monk is also the honorary president of a vineyard cooperative.

Officially, it is known as Daizenji, but it is called the "Temple of the Grape" due to its deep-rooted associations with the history of grape production in the country.

Daizenji is located in the Yamanashi District, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Tokyo, which is famous as the home of Mount Fuji, and more recently as Japan's top winemaking destination.

Monk Techo Inoue, 75, said, "In other temples, they serve sake, but here, we serve wine. This is unique in Japan."

He tells AFP the legendary origins of his temple.

In AD 718, a famous Japanese Buddhist monk and traveler named Gyoki is said to have met the Medicine Buddha, known in Japanese as Yakushi Nyorai, in a dream where the temple stands today.

In his hand, Newray was holding a handful of grapes -

Gyoki inspired the founding of Daizenji and founding the local vineyard culture, teaching Yamanashi people how to make wine for medicinal purposes.

A different legend claims that farmer Kagyu Amiya was the first to begin growing grapes in Japan, in the same region but more than 450 years later, in 1186.

DNA analysis found that Kocho -

The oldest grapes cultivated in the mountainous region -

It is a mixture of grapes native to Europe and a wild Chinese vine.

This suggests that it may have followed the Silk Road on its way to Japan, in the same way that Buddhism established itself in Asia.

Location of "Kushu Valley" in Yamanashi,

Supported by the local Chamber of Commerce, it is suggested that seeds or vines from China may have been planted in temple grounds and later accidentally rediscovered.

However, it was only during the Meiji era from 1868 to 1912 that wine production in Japan began - a period that saw an explosion of interest in the Western world.

With its fertile soils and a long history of growing grapes, Yamanashi was the obvious choice for the first vineyards, and even today, Daisenji is surrounded by grapes grown on pergola structures.

At the altar, grapes and bottles sit as offerings, while a small shrine hides antique cherries-

Wooden statue of Yakushi Nyorai with his famous bouquet of grapes.

The polished, gold-leafed statue is a prized artifact belonging to the temple, and is only shown to the public every five years.

Daizenji also sells its own grapes and bottles of wine named after the temple.

"Growing grapes, making wine, that's a good business,

Ino said with a smile.

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