Shitennō-ji (, ''Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings'') is a

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

temple in Ōsaka, Japan. It is also known as Arahaka-ji, Nanba-ji, or Mitsu-ji. The temple is sometimes regarded as the first Buddhist and oldest officially administered temple in Japan, although the temple complex and buildings have been rebuilt over the centuries, with the last reconstruction taking place in 1963. Shortly after World War II, Shitennō-ji became independent of the parent Tendai sect and formed the Wa sect (''wa-shū'', ) of Buddhism.

History

Prince Shōtoku was known for his profound Buddhist faith when

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

was not widespread in Japan during the 6th century. In order to popularize Buddhism, Prince Shōtoku led a massive national project to promote Buddhism and he commissioned the construction of Shitennō-ji. Prince Shōtoku invited three Korean carpenters from

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

. They brought knowledge and led the construction of Shitennō-ji. The commission of Shitennō-ji was part of a massive national project led by Prince Shōtoku. The temple buildings themselves have been rebuilt a few times over the centuries; most of the present structures are from when the temple was last completely rebuilt in 1963. One of the members involved in the initial construction of the temple in the 6th century later established the firm Kongō Gumi, which specialized in temple and shrine buildings. Kongō Gumi was the world's oldest company until it was acquired by the Takamatsu Construction Group in 2004. Shitennô-ji Model.jpg, Model of the temple complex at the time of its construction, at Osaka Prefectural Chikatsu Asuka Museum. Shitennō-ji main hall and pagoda.png, Tinted photo of the larger main hall and pagoda around 1880, prior to the downscaled modern reconstruction. Taken by Kusakabe Kimbei. 1934 Typhoon Muroto damage at Shitenno-ji.jpg, The rubble of the five-tiered pagoda after destruction by the 1934 Muroto typhoon.

Description

" Shitennō" refer to the Four Heavenly Kings in Buddhism. The temple Prince Shōtoku built to honor them had four institutions, each to help the Japanese attain a higher level of civilization. This was centered on the seven-building (the complex inside the walls), and included a , a , a , and a to provide essential care to the people of Japan. Three of the four sections are known to have existed inside the temple in Kamakura period. The consists of a five-story pagoda, a main Golden Pavilion () housing an image of the Bodhisattva Kannon, and a under a covered corridor holding three gates; the (also known as the ), the Western Gate, and the Eastern Gate. Surrounding this central complex are the , and a . To the west is the , also known as . Further to the west is a stone

torii A is a traditional culture of Japan, Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...

, which is imagined to be the Eastern Gate to

Sukhavati Sukhavati ( IAST: ''Sukhāvatī''; "Blissful"; Chinese: 極樂世界, lit. "realm of ultimate bliss") is the pure land (or buddhafield) of the Buddha Amitābha in Mahayana Buddhism. Sukhavati is also called the Land of Bliss or Western Pure L ...

, the Pure Land of the West. In the Kameido hall is a 7th-century turtle-shaped stonework that was used for state rituals with water. These are 2 turtle-shaped objects in opposite direction. The stone tank and upper turtle's base were carved from single pieces of Tatsuyama stone. These are similar to the carving at the Sakafuneishi ruins which are believed to be a ritual site for Empress Kōgyoku (594–661) in Asuka, Nara Prefecture. Nowadays they are still used for rituals to commemorate ancestors by floating sheets of wood with their names on the water. Souvenirs of Shitennō-ji are sold on the 21st of each month.

Directions

*a 5-minute walk from Shitennoji-mae Yuhigaoka Station on the Osaka Municipal Subway Tanimachi Line *a 15-minute walk from Tennoji Station on the

JR West , also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, ...

Lines and the Osaka Municipal Subway Lines *a 15-minute walk from Osaka Abenobashi Station on the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line

Gallery

File:Shitennoji - pagoda.jpg, Shitennō-ji pagoda File:Shitennoji07s3200.jpg, Kondō File:Shitennoji01s3200.jpg, The Great West Gate (Gokuraku-mon) File:Shitennoji daimon1.jpg, The Great East Gate File:Shitennoji daimon.jpg, The Great South Gate () File:Shitennoji4.jpg, Northern belfry File:Shitennoji-taishi-indoushoudo.jpg, Southern belfry File:Shitennoji-torii.jpg, Stone torii File:Shitennoji06s3200.jpg, Courtyard File:Shitenno-ji Niomon zou1.jpg, Niōmon File:Shitenno-ji Niomon zou2.jpg, Niōmon File:Shitennoji_daimon_nio1.jpg, Daimon 1 File:Shitennoji_daimon_nio2.jpg, Daimon 2 File:Shitennoji-KoboDaishi2 Osaka 20101013.jpg, Statuettes of

Kūkai , born posthumously called , was a Japanese Buddhist monk, calligrapher, and poet who founded the Vajrayana, esoteric Shingon Buddhism, Shingon school of Buddhism. He travelled to China, where he studied Tangmi (Chinese Vajrayana Buddhism) und ...

References

External links