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Hōryū-ji
is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in Ikaruga, Nara, Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Built shortly after Buddhism was introduced to Japan, it is also one of the oldest Buddhist sites in the country. Its full name is , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, with the complex serving as both a seminary and monastery. The temple was founded by Prince Shōtoku in 607. According to the ''Nihon Shoki'', in 670 all buildings were burned down by lightning. Reconstruction of the temple complex began soon after. Rebuilt at least 1,300 years ago, the Kondō (main hall) is widely recognized as the world's oldest wooden building. A tree ring survey conducted in 2001 revealed that the shinbashira of the five-story pagoda were cut down in 594, before it burned down in 670. On January 26, 1949, a fire broke out during the dismantling and repair of the Kondō. This heavily damaged the building and also destroyed a mural o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Treasure (Japan)
Some of the National Treasures of Japan A is "Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan, Tangible Cultural Properties designated by law in modern Japan as having extremely high value." Specifically, it refers to buildings, arts, and crafts designated as especially valuable from among Important Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan, Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (a special body of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). A Tangible Cultural Property is considered to be of historic or artistic value, classified either as "buildings and structures" or as "fine arts and crafts". Each National Treasure must show outstanding workmanship, a high value for world cultural history, or exceptional value for scholarship. Approximately 20% of the National Treasures are structures such as Japanese castle, castles, Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, or residences. The other ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hokki-ji
– formerly known as and – is a Buddhist temple temple in the Okamoto neighborhood of the town of Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The temple's honorary '' sangō'' prefix is , although it is rarely used. The temple was constructed to honor Avalokitesvara, and an 11-faced statue of the goddess is the primary object of worship in the temple. Hokki-ji is often considered to be one of the seven great temples founded by Prince Shōtoku, but in fact the temple was not completed until some decades after his death. In 1993, it was registered together with Hōryū-ji as an UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name ''Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area''. History The town of Ikaruga, where the World Heritage Site Hōryū-ji is located, was a center for early Japanese Buddhism, and the temples of Hokki-ji, Hōrin-ji and Chūgū-ji were founded in the 7th century, and claim a connection to Prince Shōtoku. Hokki-ji is located in the Okamoto district at the foot of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Buddhist Monuments In The Hōryū-ji Area
The UNESCO World Heritage Site Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area includes a variety of buildings found in Hōryū-ji and Hokki-ji in Ikaruga, Nara, Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. These buildings were designated in 1993 along with the surrounding landscape, under several criteria. The structures inscribed are some of the oldest extant wooden buildings in the world, dating from the 7th to 8th centuries. Many of the monuments are also National Treasures of Japan, and reflect an important age of Buddhism, Buddhist influence in Japan. The structures include 21 buildings in the Hōryū-ji East Temple, 9 in the West Temple, 17 monastery, monasteries and other buildings, and the pagoda in Hokki-ji. Horyuji Kondo The kondo, also known as the Golden Hall is located within the gates of the Horyuji temple complex. The structure sits near the center next to the Horyuji Pagoda. The two structures are significant, yet for very different reasons. The Kondo was built with the intention ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ikaruga, Nara
file:Horyu-ji10s3200.jpg, 280px, Horyu-ji is a List of towns in Japan, town in Ikoma District, Nara, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 28,036 in 12,292 households, and a population density of 2000 persons per km2. The total area of the town is Ikaruga is home to Hōryū-ji and Hokki-ji, ancient Buddhism, Buddhist temples collectively inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Other ancient temples include Hōrin-ji (Nara), Hōrin-ji, also in the vicinity of Hōryū-ji. The town was named after the palace of Prince Shōtoku, Hōryū-ji#Yumedono (Hall of Dreams), Ikaruga-no-Miya (''Imperial Palace of Ikaruga'', or ''Imperial House of Ikaruga''), whose grounds were at Hōryū-ji. Geography Topographically, Ikaruga is divided into a mountain forest area in the north, a hilly area in the center, and a plain area in the south. The northern mountain forest area is the southern end of the Yata Hills, which are part of the Ikoma Mountains, and Mount Matsuo is located there. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asuka Period
The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710, although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato period, Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after the Asuka, Yamato, Asuka region, about south of the modern city of Nara, Nara, Nara. The Asuka period is characterized by its significant Japanese art, artistic, social, and political transformations, having their origins in the late Kofun period. The introduction of Buddhism marked a change in Japanese society. The Asuka period is also distinguished by the change in the name of the country from to . Naming The term "Asuka period" was first used to describe a period in the history of Japanese fine-arts and architecture. It was proposed by fine-arts scholars and Okakura Kakuzō around 1900. Sekino dated the Asuka period as ending with the Taika Reform of 646. Okakura, however, saw it as ending with the transfer of the capital to the Heijō ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shichidō Garan
''Shichidō garan'' is a Buddhism in Japan, Japanese Buddhist term indicating the seven Dō (architecture), halls composing the ideal Buddhist temple compound. This compound word is composed of , literally meaning "seven halls", and , meaning "temple". The term is often shortened to just ''garan''. Which seven halls the term refers to varies, and 七堂 may be a misinterpretation of , meaning "complete temple".Iwanami KōjienKōsetsu Bukkyō Daijiten (広説仏教語大辞典) In practice, ''shichidō garan'' often simply means a large temple with many buildings. Etymology and history of the term in Japanese is an abbreviated form of the expression , itself a transliteration of the Sanskrit ''saMghaaraama'' (सँघाराम), literally meaning "garden for monks".JAANUS, ''garan'' A Japanese ''garan'' was originally just a park where monks gathered together with their teacher, but the term later came to mean "Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temple". The word ''garan' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prince Shōtoku
, also known as or , was a semi-legendary regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan who served under Empress Suiko. He was the son of Emperor Yōmei and his consort, Princess Anahobe no Hashihito, who was also Yōmei's younger half-sister. But later, he was adopted by Prince Shōtoken. His parents were relatives of the ruling Soga clan and also he was involved in the defeat of the rival Mononobe clan. The primary source of the life and accomplishments of Prince Shōtoku comes from the '' Nihon Shoki''. The Prince is renowned for modernizing the government administration and for promoting Buddhism in Japan. He also had two different families that fought over his custody. Over successive generations, a devotional cult arose around the figure of Prince Shōtoku for the protection of Japan, the Imperial Family, and for Buddhism. Key religious figures such as Saichō, Shinran and others claimed inspiration or visions attributed to Prince Shōtoku. Genealogy Parents * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pagoda
A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but sometimes Taoist or Hindu, and were often located in or near viharas. The pagoda traces its origins to the stupa, while its design was developed in ancient India. Chinese pagodas () are a traditional part of Chinese architecture. In addition to religious use, since ancient times Chinese pagodas have been praised for the spectacular views they offer, and many classical poems attest to the joy of scaling pagodas. The oldest and tallest pagodas were built of wood, but most that survived were built of brick or stone. Some pagodas are solid with no interior. Hollow pagodas have no higher floors or rooms, but the interior often contains an altar or a smaller pagoda, as well as a series of staircases for the visitor to climb to see the view from a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shinbashira
The shinbashira (心柱, also 真柱 or 刹/擦 ''satsu'') is a central pillar at the core of a pagoda or similar structure. The shinbashira has long been thought to be the key to the Japanese pagoda's notable earthquake resistance, when newer concrete buildings may collapse. History Hōryū-ji, the world's oldest wooden structure, was found to have in 2001 a shinbashira from a tree felled in 594 CE. Their examples continue in impending centuries in other ''tō'' (塔, pagoda) like the Hokkiji in Nara in 8th century, and Kaijūsenji of Kyoto. Architecture The pillar structure is made out of straight trunks of Japanese cypress (''hinoki''). The pillar runs the entire (but see below) length of the pagoda, and juts out of the top 'layer' of the pagoda, where it supports the finial of the pagoda. The shinbashira is a typical element of Japanese pagodas facing regular earthquakes, but cannot be found in China or Korea, which are not or at least not frequently hit by earthqua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhaisajyaguru
Bhaiṣajyaguru (, zh, t= , , , , ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja ("Medicine Master and King of Lapis Lazuli Light"; zh, t=藥師琉璃光(王)如來, , , ), is the Buddha of healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha", he is described as a doctor who cures suffering (Pali/Sanskrit: dukkha/ duḥkha) using the medicine of his teachings. The image of Bhaiṣajyaguru is usually expressed with a canonical Buddha-like form holding a gallipot and, in some versions, possessing blue or deep green skin. Though also considered to be a guardian of the East, in most cases, Akshobhya is given that role. As an exceptional case, the honzon of Mount Kōya's Kongōbu Temple was changed from Akshobhya to Bhaiṣajyaguru. Origin Bhaiṣajyaguru is described in the eponymous ''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja Sūtra'', commonly called the ''Medicine Buddha Sutra'', as a bodhisattva who ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nanto Shichi Daiji
Nanto Shichi Daiji (南都七大寺), literally "the seven great temples of the southern capital (meaning the city of Nara)", is a historical common name generally referring to the powerful and influential seven Buddhist temples located in the Nara prefecture. There have been some changes as to which temples are included over the years, since there have been fluctuations in power. The following is a list as it stood at the early stage, all of which were originally built by imperial order: This book is a collection of travel records to the seven great temples in Nara, published in Heian Period. A copy of the 13th century is shown at Nara National Museum. Designated National Treasure. * Daian-ji (大安寺) * Gangō-ji (元興寺) * Hōryū-ji (法隆寺) (located close to the border of modern Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and docu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heian Period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a period in Japanese history when the Chinese influence on Japanese culture, Chinese influences were in decline and the national culture matured. The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese Emperors of Japan, imperial court, noted for its Japanese art, art, especially Japanese poetry, poetry and Japanese literature, literature. Two syllabaries unique to Japan, katakana and hiragana, emerged during this time. This gave rise to Japan's famous vernacular literature, with many of its texts written by court ladies who were not as educated in Chinese as their male counterparts. Although the Imperial House of Japan had power on the surface, the real power was in the hands of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful Kuge, aristocratic family wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
