Everything about Horyuji totally explained
is a
Buddhist temple in
Ikaruga,
Nara Prefecture,
Japan. Its full name is
Hōryū Gakumonji (法隆学問寺), or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, named as such because the site serves as a seminary as well as a monastery. The temple is widely acknowledged to have some of the oldest wooden buildings existing in the world, and is one of the most celebrated temples in Japan. In
1993, Hōryū-ji was inscribed as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Japanese government lists it as a
National Treasure.
History
The temple was originally commissioned by
Prince Shotoku; at the time it was called "Ikaruga-dera"(斑鳩寺), a name that's still sometimes used. This first temple is believed to have been completed by 607. Hōryū-ji was dedicated to
Yakushi Nyorai, the
Buddha of healing and in honor of the prince's father. Also discovered were the ruins of a temple complex which was southwest of the prince's palace and not completely within the present temple complex. The temple has been repaired and reassembled in the early twelfth century, in 1374, and 1603.
Reconstruction controversy
After the long controversy ignited by architecture historian Sekino in 1905, the majority consensus view as of 2006 is that the current precinct is a reconstruction. The excavations in 1939 that uncovered the older temple site including architectural remains of a Kondo and a pagoda, are accepted as conclusive proof. The original complex, Wakakusa-Garan, probably burned down, but there's still a debate as to whether a fire actually occurred in 670, as recorded on
the Chronicles, or whether there was another reason.
Architecture
The present complex
The current temple is made up of two areas, the Sai-in (西院) in the west and the Tō-in (東院) in the east. The western part of the temple contains the Kondo (金堂, Golden Hall) and the temple's five-story pagoda. The Tō-in area holds the octagonal Yumedono Hall (夢殿, Hall of Dreams) and sits 122 meters east of the Sai-in area. The complex also contains monk's quarters, lecture halls, libraries, and dining halls.
Characteristics
The reconstructed buildings embraces the architectural influences ranging from
Eastern Han to
Northern Wei of China, as well as from the
Three Kingdoms of Korea, particularly those of
Baekje(External Link
). With its origin dating back to early 7th century, the reconstruction has allowed Hōryū-ji to absorb and feature a unique fusion of early Asuka period style elements, added with some distinct ones only seen in Hōryū-ji, that were not found again in the architecture of the following Nara period.
There are certain features that suggest the current precinct of Hōryu-ji isn't simply representative of the pure Asuka style.
One of the most notable is its layout. While most Japanese temples built during the Asuka period were arranged like their Chinese and Korean prototypes—the main gate, a pagoda, the main hall and the lecture hall on a straight line—the reconstructed Hōryū-ji breaks from those patterns by arranging the Kondō and pagoda side-by-side in the courtyard. Although the pagoda is five-storied, it doesn't function as such to allow one to climb up inside but it's rather designed to inspire people with its external view.
Kondo
The Kondō, located side-by-side to the Pagoda in Sai-in, is widely regarded as the other oldest wood building extant in the world. The hall measures 18.5 meters by 15.2 meters.
Due to a fire incident that broke out on January 26, 1949, severe damage was caused to the building, mainly its first floor, and the murals. As a result of the restoration (completed in 1954), it's estimated that about fifteen to twenty percent of the original seventh century Kondo materials is left in the current building, while the charred members were carefully removed and rebuilt to a separate fireproof warehouse for future research.
Through a recent dendrochronological analysis carried out using the materials preserved during the restorations done in the 1950s, it has turned out that some of them were felled prior to 670, suggesting a possibility that the current Kondō was already under construction when "the fire in 670", as recorded in
the Chronicles, burned the former Wakakusa-Garan down.
The hall holds the famous Shaka Triad, together with also bronze Yakushi and Amida Nyorai statues, and other national treasures. The wall paintings shown today in the Kondō is a reproduction from 1967.
Yumedono (Hall of Dreams)
Yumedono is one of the main constructions in the Tō-in area, built on the ground which was once Prince Shōtoku's private palace,
Ikaruga no miya. The present incarnation of this hall was built in 739 to assuage the Prince's spirit. The hall has acquired its present-day common name in Heian period, after a legend that says a Buddha arrived as Prince Shōtoku and meditated in a hall that existed here. The hall also contains the famous Yumedono Kannon (also Guze,- Kuse-, or Guze Kannon); which is only displayed at certain times of the year.
Treasures
The treasures of the temple are considered to be a time capsule of Buddhist art from the sixth and seventh century. Much of the frescoes, statues, and other pieces of art within the temple, as well as the architecture of the temple's buildings themselves show the strong cultural influence from China, Korea and India and demonstrated the international connection of the countries of East Asia.
The Tokyo National Museum holds over 300 objects which were donated to the Imperial Household by Hōryu-ji in 1878. Some of these itmes are on public display, and all are available for study as part of the museum's digital collection.
...link to Hōryu-ji Treasures at Toyko National Museum
Murals
The murals of Kondō comprise fifty walls; four larger walls, eight mid-sized walls and thirty-eight small wall areas inside the building. The original murals were removed after the fire incident in 1949 and is kept in a non-public treasure house. Twenty small wall paints, escaping from the 1949 fire, are in its original place while reproductions replaced the parts that were removed due to damage.
It is generally believed that the paints on the large walls represents the
Pure Land (浄土
jodo) with Shaka, Amida, Miroku and Yakushi Nyorai Bhuddas. Some of the looks and clothing drawn carries certain similarities with murals found in
Ajanta Caves (India) or
Dunhuang (China.) Also observed are Tang and Inidian flavors of the
Bosatsu and
Kannon drawn on the sides of the
Amida.
Judging from the early Tang influences, the present day consensus on the time of creation of the paintings is end of 7th century. Thus ruling out the possibilities of authorship by those early 7th century figures who were once believed to be the creator, eg. Tori or Doncho (a Goguryeo monk Tamjing, who lived in Ikaruga), there's no one clearly credited to this work.
Kudara Kannon
The Kudara Kannon is a statue of
Kannon and made of gilded camphor wood. It is 210 centimeters in height and shoulderuing the
halo. The statue is unique in Japanese art, and regarded as one of the most important works in the ancient Japan.
The statue is very thin which also creates the illusion of height. The word Kudara is the Japanese for the
Baekje Kingdom. The statue was first described in the text written in 1698, although its origin is still unknown. The name was given in the
Meiji period, because its style resembled traditional Korean statues, and prior to this the statue was called as
Kokuzo Bosatsu. Some art critics believe it to be a Korean creationand another source suggests that the statue was carved in Japan. While the temple was being rebuilt the Shaka Triad was commissioned or had been already cast.
Yumedono (Guze) Kannon
This Kannon is a statue that supposedly is the representation of Prince Shotoku. It is approximate six feet and one inch and some sources believe that Shotoku was that height. It is 197 centimeters in height. The style of the statue is also known as Tori style and is characterized by the two-dimensionality of the figure and the repetitive pattern-like depictions of the cloth the triad sits upon.
Serving the needs of architectural research
The Chronicles of Japan records the arrival of a carpenter and a buddhist sculptor in 577, along with the monks, from
Baekje to Japan, which is an underlying fact of importing the mainland expertise through this Korean kingdom with whom Japan enjoyed close relations, in order to build temples locally. These experts are recorded to have stationed in Naniwa, or present-day
Osaka, where the
Shitennō-ji was built.
There is no record, on the other hand, as to who exactly were the people that have engaged in the constructing of Hōryu-ji, although
The Chronicles records the existence of 46 temples in 624. The bracket work of Hōryū-ji resembles that of the partial remainder of a miniature Baekje gilt bronze pagoda. Since there's no surviving architecture of the same period in Korea, Hōryu-ji, being the only wooden structure extant even partially from such time, is a living hint for estimating what Baekje temples would have looked like. In the book of Samguk Sagi concerning the affairs of Baekje, it's recorded that the Yakushi was created by a Baekje craftsmen by Prince Shotoku to assist the recovery of his father, who, as it turned out, passed away before the completion of the temple complex.
Image:HoryujiStatue0321.jpg|Statue of guardian god at Horyuji
Image:Horyu-ji34s3200.jpg|Reido
Image:Horyu-ji20s3200.jpg|The way to the saiendo
Further Information
Get more info on 'Horyuji'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://h__ry__-ji.totallyexplained.com">Hōryū-ji Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
