Kōryū-ji
Kōryū-ji (広隆寺) is a Shingon temple in Uzumasa, Ukyō Ward, Kyoto, Japan. The temple is also known by the names Uzumasa-dera (太秦寺)[1] and Kadono-dera (葛野寺), and was formerly known as Hatanokimi-dera (秦公寺), Hachioka-dera (蜂岡寺) and Hōkō-ji (蜂岡寺).
Kōryū-ji is said to be the oldest temple in Kyoto, having been constructed in 603 by Hata no Kawakatsu upon receiving a Buddhist statue from Prince Shōtoku. Fires in 818 and 1150 destroyed the entire temple complex, but it was rebuilt several times since.[2]
Wooden statue of Bodhisattva
[edit]
The temple contains a number of important pieces of cultural heritage. One of the national treasures of Japan (registered on June 9, 1951), a wooden image of the Bodhisattva Maitreya sitting contemplatively in the half-lotus position, called "Hōkan Miroku" (宝冠弥勒) is amongst the rare objects that are preserved and displayed at Kōryū-ji.[2]
The statue is said to have been gifted from Silla to Japan in the early 7th century according to the Nihon Shoki,[3] and is believed to be in the possession of Kōryū-ji due to the statue being a gift from Silla to the Hata clan, a diaspora of the kingdom and the clan that built the temple.[4]
The temple is also renowned for its Bull Festival (牛祭, ushi matsuri), traditionally held in mid-October, but currently suspended.[5]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1956). Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, p. 110.
- ^ a b Japan Tourist Info.
- ^ "Nihon Shoki", Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 935–936, 2021, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-58292-0_140217, ISBN 978-3-030-58291-3
- ^ Ōnishi, Shuya; Washizuka, Hiromitsu; Richard, Naomi Noble (2003). Transmitting the forms of divinity: early Buddhist art from Korea and Japan. New York: Japan Society. ISBN 978-0-913304-54-9.
- ^ JNTO
See also
[edit]- Historical Sites of Prince Shōtoku
- List of Buddhist temples in Kyoto
- List of National Treasures of Japan (temples)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (ancient documents)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (sculptures)
References
[edit]- Daijirin, 2nd edition
- Daijisen, 1st edition
- Kōjien, 5th edition
- Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1956). Kyoto: The Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869. Kyoto: The Ponsonby Memorial Society.
External links
[edit]- images of Hondo (1730)
- image of Nandiamon (1702) Archived 2020-09-22 at the Wayback Machine
- images of the statuary
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