| Naka-in | |
| Native Name: | 中院 |
| Image Upright: | 1.2 |
| Location: | 5-15-1 Kosenba-cho, Kawagoe, Saitama |
| Coordinates: | 35.9149°N 139.4904°W |
| Religious Affiliation: | Tendai |
| Deity: | Amida Nyorai |
| Country: | Japan |
| Founded By: | Ennin |
| Year Completed: | 830 |
Naka-in is a Tendai Buddhist temple in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture.Sangō is Seiyasan. Jigō is Muryoju-ji. Ingō is Naka-in.
Naka-in was founded in the Heian period under the name of Muryoju-ji Bucchi-in.Emperor Junna ordered the monk Ennin(Jikaku Daishi) for its foundation.In the Kamakura period, it was rebuilt by the monk Sonkai who gave Eshin School Denbokaigo to Nichiren, The temple flourished as the head temple of 580 temples in Kanto region.[1] Muryoju-ji consists of Butsuzo-in(Kita-in), Bucchi-in(Naka-in) and Tamon-in(Minami-in),Emperor Gofushimi ordered the monk Sonkai to make the temple as the head temple of Tendai temples in Kanto region.In 1296, a school teaching Tendai named Senba Dangisho was founded in Naka-in, it flourished as one of the Kanto Hachi Danrin.[1] Until the monk Tenkai became the chief priest of Kita-in, Naka-in played a key role in Muryoju-ji. When Senba Tōshō-gū was founded in 1639, Naka-in was moved to the present location.
A grave of Miki Kato, the mother-in-low of Toson Shimazaki is located. Touson often visited there. Toson’s wife, Shizuko Kato was from Kawagoe, he got along with his mother-in-low and gave her a tea room named Fusentei. Miki Kato was the master of tea ceremony. A monument named Fusen-no-hi with the inscription by Toson Shimazaki is there.
Ennin introduced tea from Kyoto and started to grow tea in the compound of the temple. Later, tea plantation became popular in owned by Kawagoe Domain.The origin of Sayama tea is Kawagoe tea. Until 1990s, some tea plantations remained in the compound of the temple.
A monument to commemorate that Nichiren took Eshin School Denbokanjo from the monk Sonkai in 1253(5th of the Kencho Era).