Daian-ji

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Daian-ji, main hall
South gate

The Daian-ji ( Japanese 大安 寺 ) is a Buddhist temple in the city of Nara , Nara Prefecture , a former capital of Japan . It is one of the "Seven Great Temples of the Southern Capital" ( 南 都 七大 寺 , Nanto shichi daiji ).

history

The tradition of the temple says that there was a forerunner, a temple built by Prince Shōtoku at the beginning of the seventh century with the name Kumagori-shoja ( 熊 凝 精 舎 ). On his death bed, he is said to have expressed his wish to Emperor Jomei to develop the temple further. So the Kudara-no-ōtera ( 百 済 大寺 ), then the Takechi-no-ōtera ( 高市 大寺 ) in the first permanent imperial city of Fujiwara-kyō , which was built by Emperor Temmu in 677 in Daikan-ji ( 大官 寺 ) was renamed. When the capital was moved to Heijō-kyō, today's Nara, in 710, the temple was also moved in 716 and, according to old documents, completed during the Tempyō period (729-749). It now received its final name Daian-ji, which can be translated as "Temple of Great Peace". Opposite the Yakushi-ji on the eastern side of the city, the temple occupies the mirror-image western position.

The attachment

The original system followed the usual seven-building pattern of the time: the Great South Gate ( 南 大門 , nandaimon ), the Middle Gate ( 中 門 , chūmon ), the main hall ( 金堂 , kondō ) followed each other from south to north, followed by the Teaching hall ( 講堂 , kōdō ) and finally the refectory ( 食堂 , jikidō ) on one line. Between the main hall and the teaching hall, the sutras ( 経links , kyōzō ) stood on the right and the bell tower ( 鐘楼 , shōrō ) on the left . The whole thing was framed by a covered walkway. In the case of the Daian-ji, two seven-story pagodas stood to the right and left in front of the Great South Gate, an unusual arrangement.

The temple was ravaged by fires and lightning strikes several times during the Heian period . In the course of time it was rebuilt more and more modestly, so that today's facility no longer gives an idea of ​​its former size. The current buildings date from the Meiji period . The original arrangement has been completely lost: now the buildings are grouped around the main hall, today's south gate is on the south-east corner and was only recently restored.

Temple treasures

The following are declared as national treasures:

  • the four kings of heaven . They are lacquer figures with a wooden core. They are kept in the treasure house of the temple.

The temple's important cultural assets include:

  • a standing 11-headed wooden Kannon figure in the main hall,
  • a standing, thousand-armed Kannon made of wood, which is also called Batō-Kannon, i.e. horse-head Kannon. It stands in the pavilion called Inanaki-dō ( 嘶 堂 ), where inanaki aptly means "neigh",
  • and treasury made of reinforced concrete
    • a Fukūkenjaku-Kannon, a Yōryū-Kannon, a Shō-Kannon, all made of wood,
    • another group of the Four Kings of Heaven.

Others

Cancer sufferers hope for sanctification through prayer in this temple. A special day of prayer is January 23, when the Kōnin-e ( 光 仁 会 ) called association meets. On this occasion, warm Sasa Sake ( 笹 酒 ) is served after the prayer .

Remarks

  1. ↑ The other six are the Gangō-ji , Hōryū-ji , Kōfuku-ji , Saidai-ji , Tōdai-ji and the Yakushi-ji .
  2. ↑ This elaborate procedure, called mokushin kanshitsu ( 木 心 乾 漆 ), was widespread at that time.

literature

  • Nozawa, N. (Ed.): Nara-ken no rekishi sampo (jo) . Yamakawa Shuppan, 2010, ISBN 978-4-634-24629-4 , pp. 55-56.
  • Ōoka, Minoru (Ed.): Nara no tera . Nihon no bijutsu 7, Heibonsha, 1965.

Web links

Coordinates: 34 ° 40 ′ 5 ″  N , 135 ° 48 ′ 45 ″  E