Toshodai-ji
The Tōshōdai Temple ( Tōshōdai-ji , Japanese 唐 招 提 寺 ) is a Buddhist temple in Nara , Japan . It was founded in 759 by the Chinese monk Jianzhen (Japanese Ganjin) who moved to Japan and was buried on the site. The Tōshōdai-ji is the main temple of the Ritsu sect. His architecture is considered a classic example of the Tempyō era ( 天平 , 729–740).
The teaching hall ( kōdō ) comes from the imperial palace of Naras ( Heijō-kyū ) and is the last remaining original structure from the palace.
In the founder's hall ( mieidō ) there is a wooden statue of Ganjin, which is open to the public once a year from June 5th to 7th. Other statues are the Buddha statue Rushana ( Vairocana ), a standing thousand-armed Kannon and the statue of the seated Ganjin.
The main hall ( kondō ) was built after Ganjin's death, probably in 781. Renovation work was carried out on it from 2000 to 2009/2010.
The main hall, teaching hall, the drum tower ( korō ), the sutras ( kyōzō ), the treasure house ( hōzō ) and various statues are national treasures of Japan . In 1998, the temple was as UNESCO - World Heritage registered.
Important festivals & events
- On May 19, in the fan throwing ceremony ( Uchiwa-maki ), round Uchiwa fans are thrown into the crowd.
- Kaisan-ki (ceremony for the founder's death)
- The lotus flowers bloom in July .
- The bush clover blooms in September .
- Watch the traditional full moon in September
Personalities
- Shōji Senjō ( 象 耳 泉 奘 , 1518–1588), probably the older brother of Imagawa Yoshimoto . As a child he went to the Sennyū Temple (Sennyū-ji, 泉涌 寺 ) in Kyōto (see Risshū ), where he rose to become abbot ( chōrō ). He later moved to the Tōshōdai Temple, which he also headed as abbot. He also rebuilt the family temple of the Tsuitsuiklans ( 筒 井 氏 ), the Denkō Temple (Denkō-ji, 伝 香 寺 ).
Web links
- Homepage of Toshodaiji temple (English, October 7th 2011)
Coordinates: 34 ° 40 ′ 36.1 ″ N , 135 ° 47 ′ 3.9 ″ E