Daitoku-ji (大徳寺
?) is a Buddhist temple, one of fourteen autonomous branches of the
Rinzai school of
Japanese Zen. It is located in
Kita-ku,
Kyoto,
Japan. Daitoku-ji originated as a small monastery founded in 1315 or 1319 by the monk
Shūhō Myōchō (1282–1337), who is known by the title Daitō Kokushi, or "National Teacher of the Great Lamp," that he was given by the Emperor at that time. In 1325, the monastery was converted into a supplication hall for the imperial court at the request of the retired
Emperor Hanazono. The dedication ceremony for the imperial supplication hall, with its newly added dharma hall and abbot's living quarters, was held in 1326, and this is generally recognized as the true founding of the temple.
(Wikipedia)