ABE Zhinzo's funeral at 増上寺

choi

Tweet, VOA Chinese, July 22, 2022, at 9:45 am a video of 1:04)
https://twitter.com/VOAChinese/status/1546853145174843392
("日本前首相安倍的葬礼12日在增上寺举行，葬礼只有亲朋好友参加。 葬礼后运送灵柩的车辆穿过东京街头经过多个著名的政治地标，包括自民党总部，首相官邸和国会，沿路有众多民众向安倍道别。这位任职时间最长的日本首相在奈良参加竞选活动时被枪杀。

(1) At the very beginning of the video clip is Zōjō-ji  (三縁山)増上寺
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zōjō-ji

(a) 増上寺 (address: 東京都港区芝公園4丁目7番35号) belongs to (仏教) 浄土宗. 三縁山 is its 山号 (When Buddhism reached Japan, temples did not have 山号, but then tended to be built in mountains (probably because nobody lived there). Then many temples in various places adopted the same names. To distinguish among themselves, the temples added as prefix the name of the mountain where each is located. Much later when temples were built in urban areas, they continued the practice by imagining they had sat on a mountain.)
(b) Specifically, at the beginning of the video, the hearse (in a cortege) passes in front of (増上寺)三解脱門. See, in the preceding en.wikipedia.org page, section 2 Architecture, section 2.1 San-ge-datsu-mon: "The 21 meter (69 foot) [high] two-storied main gate, Sangedatsumon (三解脱門) was constructed in 1622, and it is therefore the oldest wooden building in Tokyo. The temple's only original structure to survive the Second World War, it has been designated an Important Cultural Property [重要文化財].  'San' (三) means 'three,' and 'Gedatsu' (解脱) means 'Moksha [click it and the new en.wikipedia.org page says this is English spelling derived from Sanskrit mokṣa; The new Wiki page provides English pronunciation but does not supply Chinese translation, which is 解脱].' If someone passes through the gate, he can free himself from three passions (貪 [pronunciation and meaning in Japan:] Ton 'greed,' 瞋 Shin 'hatred,' 癡 Chi 'foolishness').  On the upper floor are enshrined an image of Gautama Buddha flanked by two attendants, and statues of the Sixteen Arhats.
(i) moksha (n): "(in Hinduism and Jainism) release from the cycle of rebirth impelled by the law of karma  <Beth explains the main concepts including karma, moksha, dharma and the Hindu concept of God - simply and clearly.>"
https://www.lexico.com/definition/moksha
(ii) The datsu is the Chinese pronunciation of kanji 脱.
(iii)The personal name of Buddha is Siddhartha Gautama. The en.wikipedia.org for "Gautama Buddha" mentions one of his title and meaning: "Shakyamuni ('Sage of the Shakyas'. "
(iv) The ja.wikipedia.org for the gate says 三解脱門 is "二重門（重層で、各層に屋根が付く門）." (my rough translation: each of the two floors has its own roof.")
(v) The location of the gate om the temple can be appreciated -- in the en.wikopedia.org page for Zōjō-ji -- in a photo whose caption: "Aerial view of Zojoji as seen from Tokyo Tower, where the gate in in the 12 o'clock position."  

(c) Now we will scrutinize the photo for the above 三解脱門 in the en.wikipedia.org page. Pay attention to a yellow rectangular sign on the left margin, about 8 o'clock position, which says, "勧進."
(i) The sign has been there all the time, before the Abe funeral. The images.google.com brings me two photos of 増上寺 + 勧進:
(A) J_rosecut, 【勧進】って。。
https://jrosecut.exblog.jp/12621999/
("徳川家の菩提寺である　芝の増上寺の三解脱門の前に大きな立札がある   
勧進って大きく書かれているが。。
よく見ると
『宗祖法然上人八百年御忌　勧進　奉修平成二十三年春』 * * * ")

In the title of the photo, "って" means "regarding" or "about."

The kanji 芝 (Japanese pronunciation is shiba) means lawn. But here Shiba is a proper name. See Shiba, Tokyo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiba,_Tokyo
("Shiba (芝) is an area of Minato ward in Tokyo * * * Shiba was a ward of Tokyo City from 1878 to 1947. It was merged with Akasaka [赤坂] and Azabu [麻布] wards to form Minato ward" 港区 in 1947)

my translation for lines 3 and 4 of the quotation: Once I look [at the sign] carefully, [it says,] 宗祖法然上人八百年御忌　勧進　奉修 [in both China and Japan, 奉修=奉行] 平成二十三年 [2011] 春.

Hōnen Shōnin  法然上人: Hōnen 法然 (1133 – 1212) founded Japan's 浄土宗, but 浄土宗 had been in CHINA for centuries.
(B) keiichi,  徳川家ゆかり [yukari is defined in (1)(d) below] のお寺？増上寺。今日は松阪牛の日。  Ameba, July 19, 2021
https://ameblo.jp/asatte-tsae-my ... 52-14974492460.html
(The sign now said, "大本山増上寺 浄土宗開宗八百五十年慶讚  勧進　法要奉修 令和六年四月")

松阪牛の日 is 19th day of each month. Matsusaka beef  松阪牛
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsusaka_beef
, whose section 1 History did not say it, but the system started very recently, on Aug 19, 2002. Hence the name 松阪牛の日. "Japanese Black" 黒毛和種 is one of the four Wagyu 和牛, so called native breeds (but actually created by cross breeding in or around 1990) of cows in Japan.

大本山 da-i-hon-zan =総本山=本山: head temple of a Buddhist sect. 増上寺 is 浄土宗 大本山. Two thirds down the Web page
juris, 『東京タワー』様を見上げると以前はなかったかと思う高いビルが建設中でガックリしちゃったんですよね…   May 11, 2022
https://katsu.blog/juris/2022/05/11/26372/
, there are three close-up photos of the gate, the top one being 立札.

(d) Japanese-English dictionary:
* bo-da-i-ji  菩提寺 【ぼだいじ】 (n): "one's family temple; temple with one's family grave"
* tate-fuda 立て札(P); 立札(P) 【たてふだ】 (n): "(See 高札・[definition] 1) bulletin board; notice board; billboard; roadside sign; sign on a post, usu. wooden, esp. containing information about a sight, warning, congratulations, etc"
* shōnin 上人 【しょうにん】 (n): "holy priest; saint"
* hōyō 法要 【ほうよう】 (n): "Buddhist memorial service"
* yukari ゆかり《縁》 (n): "connection (to a person, place, etc)"

(e) Still, what does 勧進 (pronounced kanjin) mean in Japan?
(i) The most common definition is "temple solicitation." that is, a temple wants a visitor to donate money. But it can not be from the context.
(ii) Then I find Zenkōji  (located in 長野県長野市; "無宗派の単立仏教寺院"L ja.wikipedia.org) has the front gate that says "大勧進." The temple explains:
歴史
https://daikanjin.jp/about/daikanjin/
("大勧進の寺名は、人々に仏法を説き作善をなすように勧誘策進する「勧進」を意味します"/ photos)

my rough translation: to 勧誘策進 coax and prod people 人々 to * * *

(f) Now return to the video clip in VOA Chinese tweet. At 0:04, there is a vertical sign "紫雲院殿政誉清浄晋寿大居士." That is Abe Shinzo's title upon his death, the highest title conferred in 浄土宗.

Japanese-English dictionary:
* shi-yun 紫雲 【しうん】 (n): "{Buddh} purple clouds on which Amitabha rides to welcome the spirits of the dead"
* sakigake 先駆け(P); 魁 【さきがけ】 (n,v): "pioneer; leader; taking the initiative; forerunner; harbinger; herald"


(2) 安倍元首相しのび葬儀　昭恵さん「感謝」、岸田氏ら参列. 秋田魁新報 Akita Sakigake Shimpō, July 22, 2022.
https://www.sakigake.jp/news/article/20220712CO0051/

(a) The sakigake is defined in (1)(f).
(b) Only view the photo, which says, "安倍 晉三 葬儀式場" which is preceded with "通夜 七月十一日六時より [yori is defined below]" and followed by "告別式 七月十二日一時 -- 二時三十分."
(c) Japanese-English dictionary:
* tsuya 通夜 【つや】 (n): "(See 御通夜 [meaning: also written as 御通夜 which is pronounced as o-tsuya; 御 signifies respect) all-night vigil over a body; wake"
* yori より (preposition): "from * * *[t0] * * * "
* koku-betsu-shiki 告別式 【こくべつしき】 (n): "funeral service; memorial service"

(3) Japan bids final farewell to former PM Shinzo Abe. Tass (Russia), July 12, 2022
https://tass.com/world/1478991

consecutive paragraphs:

"The closed funeral ceremony attended by about 1,000 people took place in the Zojo-ji Buddhist temple in downtown Tokyo after which a hearse with the politician’s coffin drove past the government quarter.

"Hundreds of reporters and thousands of ordinary residents lined the entire route of the funeral procession, a TASS correspondent reports. The cortege first approached the headquarters of the ruling Liberal-Democratic Party that Abe led when he headed the government for a record-setting eight years.

"Then the procession headed to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's [官邸 official] residence. When it passed the parliament building hundreds of legislators both from the ruling coalition and the opposition lined the street.

"Then the motorcade went to the ritual hall in the Shinagawa District [(東京都) 品川区] where cremation took place.

"The former prime minister's burial location has not yet been named, however, it is expected that it may be in the Yamaguchi Prefecture [山口県] where his family is from. His father, ex-Foreign Minister Shintaro Abe [安倍 晋太郎] who also died [of heart failure] at 67 is buried there in the city of Nagato [長門 (市)].

Note: Yamaguchi Prefecture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaguchi_Prefecture   
(section 2 Geography, section 2.1 Current municipalities)
has a map.