Kanzeon-ji

is a seventh-century Buddhist temple in Dazaifu, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was once the most important temple in Kyushu. Its bell, one of the oldest in the country, has been designated a National Treasure, and in 1996 the Ministry of the Environment designated its sound as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. Many statues of the Heian period are Important Cultural Properties.

History

The origins of Kanzeon-ji re uncertain, and its oldest known appearance in historical documentation is in the ''Kanzeon-ji Zaizaicho'' (National Treasure, owned by Tokyo University of the Arts), compiled in 905. According to the ''Shoku Nihongi'', Kanzeon-ji was founded by Emperor Tenji in honour of his mother Empress Saimei. As she died in 661 it is assumed that construction began shortly thereafter; however, it was still incomplete fifty years later when in 709 additional workers were assigned. A further entry in the ''Shoku Nihongi'' indicates that it was completed on in 746. The oldest roof tiles excavated from the temple grounds date to the 7th century and have patterns of double-valved, eight-petaled lotus-shaped eaves and eccentric arabesque patterns also found in Fujiwara-kyō and Kawara-dera in Asuka, Nara. The ''bonshō'' bell at Kanzeon-ji was cast using the same wooden mold as the bell at Myōshin-ji in Kyoto, which has the date inscription of 698. All of the original structures of Kanzeon-ji have been lost and rebuilt repeatedly due to fires and other disasters. Excavation has revealed that the original layout of the temple was patterned after Kawara-dera, with a south gate, middle gate, ''Kondō'' (Main Hall) to the west, pagoda to the east and a lecture hall in the centre, with a cloister. In 761, the monk Ganjin constructed a Kaidan-in, which permitted monks trained at this temple to be fully ordained without having to travel all the way to the capital. In 1064, a fire destroyed the lecture hall and pagoda. In 1102, the Kondō, South Gate, and other buildings collapsed due to a strong wind. The Kondō was later restored, but it was destroyed again in a fire in 1143. The temple went into decline in the Muromachi and Sengoku Periods, and by 1630, its only remaining main hall In 1630, the only remaining main hall collapsed during a rainstorm, and Kanzeon-ji was reduced to an abandoned temple.

In 1631, a new Kondō was built, and under the sponsorship by the Kuroda clan of Fukuoka Domain. The Kondō and lecture hall were rebuilt in the Genroku era (1688-1703). These structures are now designated Fukuoka Prefectural Tangible Cultural Properties. From 1913 to 1914, repairs were made to the badly damaged Buddha statues. In 1959, the reinforced concrete treasure house was completed. This was one of the earliest temple cultural property repositories built.

The were declared an National Historic Site in 1970.

Cultural Properties

Kanzeon-ji houses a National Treasure and a number of statues and other items that are Important Cultural Properties:

* of the Nara period (National Treasure)
* of the Heian period
* of the Heian period
* of the Heian period (1066)
* of the Heian period
* of the Heian period
* of the Heian period
* set of of the Heian period
* of the Heian period
* of the Heian period (1069)
* of the Kamakura period (1242)
* of the Heian period
* of the Heian period
* of the Heian period
* of the Heian period
* of the Heian period
* of the Kamakura period (1222)
* three of the Kamakura period
* of the Kamakura period
* of the Nara period

A Heian period dating to 905 and now in Tokyo has been designated a National Treasure.

See also

* Dazaifu Tenman-gū
*Kaidan-in
* Kōmyōzen-ji
*List of National Treasures of Japan (ancient documents)
* List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts: others)
*List of Special Places of Scenic Beauty, Special Historic Sites and Special Natural Monuments
*100 Soundscapes of Japan

References

External links

Dazaifu HeritageFukuoka Tourism WebCultural Properties in Fukuoka Prefecture

{{Authority control

Buddhist temples in Fukuoka Prefecture
Buildings and structures in Dazaifu, Fukuoka
Tendai temples
Temples of Avalokiteśvara
Fukuoka Prefecture designated tangible cultural property
Chikuzen Province
Historic Sites of Japan
8th-century establishments in Japan
746 establishments
Religious buildings and structures completed in the 740s