Gokoku-ji Audio Guide

Gokoku Temple: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Gokoku Temple

   Welcome to Gokoku Temple, a Buddhist temple in the city of Naha, on the main island of Okinawa. In Japanese it is written 護国寺, and the name means Protection of the Nation Temple. That is a big title for a temple, and it fits, because this was once a national temple of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. A quick word before we begin. The written record I can offer for this exact site is focused on its founding, its place in the old kingdom and one famous episode in the nineteenth century. I will stick to those stories and leave out anything I cannot stand behind, such as buildings, layouts and visiting details. The temple is listed in the Wakasa district of Naha, so you are in the heart of the island's capital, with centuries of history behind its name. Over the next few minutes we will look at how the temple began, what it meant to the kingdom, and the strange chapter when a foreign missionary moved in and refused to leave.

2. 02

   A Temple Born in the Fourteenth Century

   Gokoku Temple is among the oldest temples on Okinawa. Many accounts describe it as the oldest one still standing on the island. It is a Shingon Buddhist temple, part of the esoteric tradition that Japanese Buddhism links to Mount Kōya. The founding date comes down in two versions. One account says the temple was established in 1367. Another says it was founded in 1368 by the Ryūkyūan king Satto, as a temple for offering prayers on behalf of the kingdom. Either way, we are talking about the later fourteenth century, long before the Ryūkyū Kingdom was unified. The temple is also known by another formal name, Naminoue Sankoin. The first part, Naminoue, means something like above the waves. The main object of worship is Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. And local people have their own name for the place: in the Okinawan language it is Nanmin-nu-tira, the temple of Naminoue.

3. 03

   A Temple for the Kingdom at Gokoku Temple

   Now think about that name again: Protection of the Nation. This was no quiet village shrine. Gokoku Temple served as a major national temple, first for the kingdom of Chūzan, one of the realms on Okinawa in the fourteenth century. Later it served the unified Ryūkyū Kingdom that followed. The temple was founded as a place of prayer for the king, and that explains its role. In the old kingdom, religion and the fortunes of the state were closely linked. A temple like this was where prayers for the kingdom's safety and prosperity could be offered under royal patronage. So as you picture this place, imagine more than a spot for personal devotion. For centuries it stood as part of the way the Ryūkyū court asked for protection on behalf of the whole realm.

4. 04

   The Missionary Who Moved Into Gokoku Temple

   Our story takes a dramatic turn in 1846. That year the temple was taken over by Bernard Jean Bettelheim, a doctor and Christian missionary. He was working as a lay medical missionary under the Loochoo Naval Mission, which sent him to the island. When his ship, HMS Starling, arrived at Naha, the Okinawan port master protested that he should not be allowed to disembark. Yet Bettelheim ended up occupying the temple for seven years. During that time, Buddhist worshippers were driven away, and the temple's rightful occupants were pushed out of their own home. It is a striking episode, a Christian missionary living inside one of the kingdom's most important Buddhist temples, and it shows how this place sat at the crossroads of Okinawa's meeting with the wider world.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off from Gokoku Temple

   So that is Gokoku Temple: a fourteenth century foundation, a prayer temple of kings, a protector of the nation in name, and for seven years the unwilling host of a missionary. As you take it in, you might look at how the temple sits within its Naha neighborhood and think about how long it has watched the city change around it. Listen, too, for the local name, Nanmin-nu-tira, which you may hear used by people from the area. And if the story of Bettelheim caught your imagination, there is plenty more to explore about how Okinawa met Britain, Japan and the wider world in the nineteenth century. Every layer of this place seems to lead to another.