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280px, Hokke-ji gardens 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 ...
located in the Hokkeji neighborhood of the city of
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 ...
,
Nara Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...
, Japan. It is the head temple of the sect after the temple's founder,
Empress Kōmyō (701 – 23 July 760), born Fujiwara Asukabehime (藤原 安宿媛), was the consort of Japanese Emperor Shōmu (701–756) during the Nara Period.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' pp. 57-58. Life A member of ...
. The ''
honzon , sometimes referred to as a Gohonzon ( or ), is the enshrined main image or principal deity in Japanese Buddhism. The buddha, bodhisattva, or mandala image is located in either a temple or a household butsudan. The image can be either a statue ...
'' of the temple is a statue of Jūichimen Kannon (Avalokiteśvara), which is a designated
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 ...
'' records that in 741, as the country recovered from a major smallpox epidemic,
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 ...
ordered that a monastery and nunnery be established in every
province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
, the . These temples were built to a semi-standardized template, and served both to spread Buddhist orthodoxy to the provinces, and to emphasize the power of 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 ...
centralized government under the ''
Ritsuryō is the historical Japanese legal system, legal system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Legalism (Chinese philosophy), Chinese Legalism in Feudal Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (). ''Kya ...
'' system. The great national monastery of
Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admir ...
was the head temple for this system of ''kokubunji'' monasteries, and the ''
monzeki ''Monzeki'' (門跡) were Japanese Buddhist priests of aristocratic or Imperial lineage. The term was also applied to the temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as p ...
'' nunnery of Hokke-ji became the head of all the ''kokubun-niji'' nunneries. The site of Hokke-ji Temple was originally the residence of
Fujiwara no Fuhito Fujiwara no Fuhito (藤原 不比等: 659 – 13 September 720) was a powerful member of the imperial court of Japan during the Asuka and Nara periods. Second son of Fujiwara no Kamatari (or, according to one theory, of Emperor Tenji), he ...
, and after his death, his daughter
Empress Kōmyō (701 – 23 July 760), born Fujiwara Asukabehime (藤原 安宿媛), was the consort of Japanese Emperor Shōmu (701–756) during the Nara Period.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' pp. 57-58. Life A member of ...
, inherited it and made it the Imperial Palace. Per 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 ...
'', empress made it into a temple in May 745; however, was only two years later, in 747, that the name "Hokke-ji Temple" appears in historical documentation. There are many unknowns about the details of the founding of the temple, and about the ''kokubun-niji'' system itself, including the locations of many of the nunneries, or even if they were all actually constructed. Hokke-ji itself, despite its imperial connections and prestige, took a long time to complete, and it was not until 782 that the government office responsible for its construction abolished.
Archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...
s have revealed that the temple grounds occupied a three by two
Chō is a Japanese actor and narrator. His former stage name was . He is a graduate of the Nishogakusha University Department of Literature and received training at Bungakuza's research establishment and the Seinenza Theater Company before attachi ...
area, or one full city block in the city plan of
Heijō-kyō was the Capital of Japan during most of the Nara period, from 710 to 740 and again from 745 to 784. The imperial palace is a listed UNESCO World Heritage together with other places in the city of Nara (cf. Historic Monuments of Ancient ...
, and that it bordered the Togu Palace of the Heijō Palace grounds. The original main hall and lecture hall were located further south of the current temple's South Gate, and to the south of the main hall was a Middle Gate and two
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 some ...
s south of that. Furthermore, in the southwestern part of the grounds was a sub-temple, the Amida Jōdō-in, which (per the Shoku Nihongi) had an 18-foot tall Amida triad as its ''
honzon , sometimes referred to as a Gohonzon ( or ), is the enshrined main image or principal deity in Japanese Buddhism. The buddha, bodhisattva, or mandala image is located in either a temple or a household butsudan. The image can be either a statue ...
'', and which was where the first anniversary services after the death of Empress Kōmyō was held in 761. After the capital was relocated to
Heian-kyō Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180. Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mo ...
Hokkke-ji gradually declined, and it was in considerable disrepair by the end of 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 ...
. It was damaged in 1180 during
Taira no Shigehira (1158–1185) was one of the sons of Taira no Kiyomori, and one of the Taira Clan's chief commanders during the Heian period of the 12th century of Japan. Famous battles Following the Battle of Uji (1180), Battle of Uji in 1180, Shigehira fo ...
's
Siege of Nara The alternatively known as the Nanto Arson Campaign in Japan is an event which took place on January 15th 1181 (December 28th 1180 in the Jishō calendar), following Prince Mochihito and Minamoto no Yorimasa's defeat and subsequent death to the ...
, but was restored by the monk
Chōgen was a after '' Manju'' and before ''Chōryaku.'' This period spanned the years from July 1028 through April 1037. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 1028 : The new era name ''Chōgen'' was created to mark and event or series of ...
in 1203. A
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 ...
head of the
Vairocana Vairocana (from Sanskrit: Vi+rocana, "from the sun" or "belonging to the sun", "Solar", or "Shining"), also known as Mahāvairocana (Great Vairocana), is a major Buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Vairocana is often interpreted, in text ...
Buddha at the temple is believed to be a surviving portion of the ''honzon'' statue of that time. Towards the end of the Kamakura period, the temple was restored by
Eison (1201–1290) was a Japanese Buddhist monk who founded the Shingon Risshu sect. Eison entered religious training when he was eleven years old, studying initially at Daigo-ji and later at Kongōbu-ji. At the age of 34, while at Saidai-ji, he ma ...
and converted to the
Shingon Ritsu The is a comparatively small medieval sect of Buddhism in Japan that arose in the Kamakura period as an offshoot of Shingon Buddhism. Its founder was a monk named Eison (叡尊 1201-1290), a disciple of Jōkei, and carried further by Eison's disci ...
sect. In the
Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...
, the temple was burned in 1499 and 1506 by military conflicts, and was also severely damaged by the
1596 Keichō–Fushimi earthquake The struck Japan on September 5, 1596. The earthquake measuring 7.5 ± 0.25 produced intense shaking (evaluated at '' Shindo 6'') across the Kansai region. Devastation was recorded in Kyoto and over 1,200 people perished. Tectonic setting The ...
. The current Main Hall and South Gate were rebuilt in 1601 by
Toyotomi Hideyori was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who united all of Japan toward the end of the Sengoku period. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga. Early life Born in 1593, he was Hideyoshi's sec ...
and his mother, Lady Yodo, and was the bell tower in 1602. During the
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
, the temple once again became a ''monzeki'' nunnery, when
Emperor Go-Mizunoo , posthumously honored as , was the 108th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. Go-Mizunoo's reign spanned the years from 1611 through 1629, and he was the first emperor to reign entirely d ...
's adopted daughter Takanori took holy orders. The East Pagoda of the temple collapsed in the
1707 Hōei earthquake The struck south-central Japan at around 13:45 local time on 28 October. It was the largest earthquake in Japanese history until it was surpassed by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake. It caused moderate-to-severe damage throughout southwestern Hons ...
. In 1999, the temple reverted to its original status as an independent temple and left the Shingon RItsu sect to become head temple of the Komyō sect, named after Empress Komyō. The temple houses numerous
National Treasures 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 ...
and Important Cultural Properties. The precincts of Hokke-ji, including the remains of the Amida Jodo-in, were designated a National Historic Site in 2001, with the area under protection expanded in 2015. The remains of a
Pure Land Pure Land is a Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhist concept referring to a transcendent realm emanated by a buddhahood, buddha or bodhisattva which has been purified by their activity and Other power, sustaining power. Pure lands are said to be places ...
garden with a pond have been discovered at the remains of Amida Jodo-in, which the oldest known garden of this kind in Japan. It is also protected as a Nationally Designated PLace of Scenic Beauty. Hokkemetsuzainotera nandaimon.jpg, South Gate (ICP) Hokke-ji2.JPG, The bell tower (ICP) 140531 Hokkeji Nara Japan16s3.jpg, Bath house (Tangible Cultural property) Hokkeiji Nunnery Eleven-Headed Kwannon I (303).jpg, Jūichimen Kannon


Hokke-ji Jūichimen Kannon

The ''honzon'' of Hokke-ji is a one-meter tall wooden statue of Jūichimen Kannon (Avalokiteśvara), which is designated a National Treasure. A ''
hibutsu are Japanese Buddhist icons or statues concealed from public view. ''Hibutsu'' are generally located within Buddhist temples in shrines called . They are unavailable for viewing or worship except for certain religious ceremonies. It is possible i ...
'' image, it is open for public viewing on certain days in spring and autumn. The temple legend states that it was made in 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 ...
by a Buddhist sculptor from Gandara in the likeness of Empress Kōmyō, but it is believed to have actually been made in the early Heian period, in the first half of the 9th century. The statue is made of a single piece of Japanese kaya wood. It is in good condition and is one of the most representative pieces of sculpture from the Heian period. It was made without any coloring or
gold leaf upA gold nugget of 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter (bottom) can be expanded through hammering into a gold foil of about 0.5 m2 (5.4 sq ft). The Japan.html" ;"title="Toi gold mine museum, Japan">Toi gold mine museum, Japan. Gold leaf is gold that has ...
from the beginning, and the hair, eyebrows, and beard were painted ultramarine, the lips were painted vermilion, and the whites of the eyes were painted white. Copper plates were used for the eyes, the hair hanging down the shoulders, the crown, and the bracelets, and the rest of the statue is finished in a natural state that makes the most of the beauty of the wood. Apart from a few parts made of different materials, such as the wrists and the loose parts of the heavenly garment, the main parts of the head and body, the center of the lotus throne, and the core below it are carved from a single piece of wood. The pedestal is an unusual type, with a single thin stem supporting the lotus flower of the statue from the bottom. The halo is also a rare style, depicting the unopened lotus flowers and leaves. It was added in 1905 was based on old drawings. The statue's center of gravity is on the left leg, the right leg is loose, and the first toe of the right foot is slightly raised, as if expressing the moment of taking a step. The extremely long right arm represents the "standing hand and knees upright position," one of the 80 types of Buddha's
mudra A mudra (; , , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. As well as being spiritual ges ...
. The facial expression of this statue, the proportions that emphasize the volume of the chest and thighs, and the fluttering wave pattern of clothing with thick folds alternating with thin, sharp folds are all styles unique to early Heian sculpture.


See also

*
List of National Treasures of Japan (paintings) The term "National Treasure (Japan), National Treasure" has been used in Japan to denote Cultural Properties of Japan, cultural properties since 1897. The definition and the criteria have changed since the inception of the term. These paintings a ...
*
List of National Treasures of Japan (sculptures) In the mid-6th century, the introduction of Buddhism from the Koreanic state Baekje to Japan resulted in a revival of Japanese sculpture. Buddhist monks, artisans and scholars settled around the capital in Yamato Province (present day Nara Prefect ...
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Nara) This list is of the Monuments of Japan, Historic Sites of Japan located within the Prefectures of Japan, Prefecture of Nara Prefecture, Nara. National Historic Sites As of 17 June 2022, one hundred and twenty-seven Sites have been Cultural Prope ...
* List of Places of Scenic Beauty of Japan (Nara)


Further reading

* Lori Meeks, ''Hokkeji and the Reemergence of Female Monastic Orders in Premodern Japan'' (2010
excerpt and text search


References


External links


Hokke-ji homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hokke-ji Buddhist temples in Nara, Nara 8th-century Buddhist temples Important Cultural Properties of Japan Places of Scenic Beauty Nara period Historic Sites of Japan Monzeki National Treasures of Japan