Akishino-dera
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is a
Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...
in
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 documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
, Japan. Founded in the eighth century, its Kamakura-period Hondō is a
National Treasure A national treasure is a structure, artifact, object or cultural work that is officially or popularly recognized as having particular value to the nation, or representing the ideals of the nation. The term has also been applied to individuals or ...
.


History

The ''
Shoku Nihongi The is an imperially-commissioned Japanese history text. Completed in 797, it is the second of the '' Six National Histories'', coming directly after the and followed by ''Nihon Kōki''. Fujiwara no Tsugutada and Sugano no Mamichi served as t ...
'' of 797 places the origins of the temple in Hōki 11 (780), while the of 1139 ascribes it to the vows of
Emperor Kōnin was the 49th emperor of Japan, Emperor Kōnin, Tahara no Higashi Imperial Mausoleum, Imperial Household Agency according to the traditional order of succession. Kōnin's reign lasted from 770 to 781. Traditional narrative The personal name of ...
and Emperor Kammu and names its founder as , younger brother of
Emperor Shōmu was the 45th Emperor of Japan, emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 聖武天皇 (45)/ref> according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 749, duri ...
. The of 1441 dates its foundation instead to 776. Excavated
Nara-period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara, Nara, Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained ...
tiles corroborate an eighth-century foundation date. Like other major temples of the period, Akishino-dera had two
pagodas 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 sometime ...
, as well as a
Kondō Kondō, Kondo or Kondou (近藤 "near wisteria") is a surname prominent in Japanese culture, although it also occurs in other countries. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese ballet dancer *, man known for marrying a fictional vocal ...
. According to the ''Legends'', a fire in June 1135 destroyed most of the temple. Two hundred and fifty-five ofuda, dating from 1327 to 1524, cast light on later years.


Buildings

The five by four bay
National Treasure A national treasure is a structure, artifact, object or cultural work that is officially or popularly recognized as having particular value to the nation, or representing the ideals of the nation. The term has also been applied to individuals or ...
Hondō, with a raised platform, earthen floor, tiled
hipped roof A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downward to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope, with variants including tented roofs and others. Thus, a hipped roof has no gables or other vertical sides ...
, and slightly narrower intercolumniation at each end, epitomises the
Wayō is a Buddhist architectural style developed in Japan before the Kamakura period (1185-1333), and is one of the important Buddhist architectural styles in Japan along with ''Daibutsuyō'' and the ''Zenshūyō'', which were developed based on ...
style. Built on the site of the former lecture hall, it is a Kamakura-period rebuild in somewhat archaizing style. Inside, a raised altar platform is backed by an internal wall that spans three bays. The Hondō was dismantled for repair and reconstruction in 1899.


Treasures

Statues designated Important Cultural Properties include a Yakushi Triad, (traditional identification), Taishakuten, and Jizō Bosatsu, in the Hondō; in the Daigendō; Bonten, Kudatsu Bosatsu (traditional identification), and hollow dry-lacquer fragments, kept at
Nara National Museum The is one of the pre-eminent national art museums in Japan. Introduction The Nara National Museum is located in Nara, which was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784. Katayama Tōkuma (1854–1917) designed the original building, which is a rep ...
; Jizō Bosatsu, kept at
Kyoto National Museum The is one of the major art museums in Japan. Located in Kyoto's Higashiyama ward, the museum focuses on pre-modern Japanese and Asian art. History The Kyoto National Museum, then the Imperial Museum of Kyoto, was proposed, along with the Imp ...
; and Jūichimen Kannon, kept at
Tokyo National Museum The or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō wards of Tokyo, ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the , is considered the oldest national museum and the largest art museum in Japan. The museum collects, prese ...
. The dry-lacquer heads of Gigeiten and Bonten, along with the heads of Kudatsu Bosatsu and Taishakuten, date from the
Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...
and are joined to bodies of the
Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
; the hollow dry-lacquer fragments similarly date from the Nara period, while the images flanking the Yakushi, along with the two Jizō and Jūichimen Kannon, are from the
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 ...
, Daigensui Myōō is from the
Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
, and the Yakushi dates from the
Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...
. Other treasures include a set of five standing ; a dating to Shōan 3 (1301) that has been designated a Prefectural Cultural Property; and a painting of Daigensui Myōō dating from the
Nanboku-chō period The , also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period, was a period in Japanese history between 1336-1392 CE, during the formative years of the Ashikaga shogunate, Muromachi (Ashikaga) shogunate. Ideologically, the two courts fought for 50 ...
and seven Muromachi-period fragments of ema with images of horses, designated Municipal Cultural Properties. Image:Gigeiten (Akishinodera Nara).jpg, Gigeiten (Kamakura period, with dry-lacquer head of the Nara period) Image:Daigensui Myoo (Akishinodera Nara).jpg, Daigensui Myōō Image:Taishakuten (Akishinodera Nara).jpg, Taishakuten


See also

*
List of National Treasures of Japan (temples) The term " National Treasure" has been used in Japan to denote cultural properties since 1897. The definition and the criteria have changed since the inception of the term. The temple structures in this list were designated national treasures whe ...
* List of National Treasures of Japan (sculptures) *
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 " ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control 780 establishments 8th-century Buddhist temples 8th-century establishments in Japan Buddhist temples in Nara, Nara National Treasures of Japan Religious buildings and structures completed in the 780s Temples of Bhaiṣajyaguru