BYODOIN TEMPLE
Byodoin Temple (平等院, Byōdō-in) is a Buddhist
temple in the city of Uji in
Kyoto Prefecture,
Japan. Byodoin Temple is a World
Heritage Listed site.
This temple was originally built in 998 in the Heian
period as a rural villa of Fujiwara no Michinaga, one of the most powerful
members of the Fujiwara clan. This villa was changed to a Buddhist temple by
Fujiwara no Yorimichi in 1052. The most famous building in the temple is the
Phoenix Hall (鳳凰堂 hōō-dō) or the Amida Hall, constructed in 1053. The only
remaining original building is the Phoenix Hall, surrounded by a scenic
pond; additional buildings making up the compound were burnt down during a
civil war in 1336.
The main building in Byodoin Temple, the Phoenix Hall consists of a central
hall, flanked by twin wing corridors on both sides of the central hall, and
a tail corridor. The central hall houses an image of Amida Buddha. The roof
of the hall displays statues of the Chinese phoenix, called hōō in Japanese.
Byodoin Temple Uji
The Phoenix Hall, completed in 1053, is the exemplar of
Fujiwara Amida halls. It consists of a main rectangular structure flanked by
two L-shaped wing corridors and a tail corridor, set at the edge of a large
artificial pond. Though its official name is Amida-dō, it began to be called
Hōō-dō, or Phoenix Hall, in the beginning of the Edo period. This name is
considered to derive both from the building's likeness to a phoenix with
outstretched wings and a tail, and the pair of phoenixes adorning the roof.
Inside the Phoenix Hall, a single image of Amida (c. 1053) is installed on a
high platform. The Amida sculpture is made of Japanese cypress and is
covered with gold leaf. It was executed by Jōchō, who used a new canon of
proportions and a new technique, yosegi, in which multiple pieces of wood
are carved out like shells and joined from the inside. The statue measures
about three meters high from its face to its knees, and is seated. Applied
to the walls of the hall are small relief carvings of celestials, the host
believed to have accompanied Amida when he descended from the Western
Paradise to gather the souls of believers at the moment of death and
transport them in lotus blossoms to Paradise. Raigō paintings on the wooden
doors of the Phoenix Hall, depicting the Descent of the Amida Buddha, are an
early example of Yamato-e, Japanese-style painting, and contain
representations of the scenery around Kyoto.
There is a garden with a pond in front of the building, which in 1997 was
dredged as part of an archaeological dig.
The Byodoin Temple museum stores and displays most of Byodoin Temple's
national treasures, including 52 wooden Bodhisattvas, the temple bell, the
south end Phoenix, and other historically noteworthy items. Photography is
banned within the museum.
Japan commemorates its longevity and cultural significance by displaying its
image on the 10 yen coin, and the 10,000 yen note features the phoenix
image. In December 1994, UNESCO listed the building as a World Heritage Site
as part of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto". The Phoenix Hall, the
great statue of Amida inside it, and several other items at Byodoin Temple
are national treasures.
Japanese 10 Yen coin featuring Byodoin Temple
A full-size replica of the temple was built in 1968 at the
Valley of the Temples on O'ahu, Hawaii.
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Byodoin Temple Pictures
Click on pictures below for a larger version.
Moss on tree, Byodoin Temple |
Statue, Byodoin Temple |
Roof detail Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Sun light on water, Byodoin Temple |
Amida sculpture, Byodoin Temple |
Bridge to Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
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Wisteria arbor - Byodoin Temple |
Fudodo (Acala Hall), Byodoin Temple |
Yorimasa's Grave, Byodoin Temple |
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Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Bridge to Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Byodoin Temple museum |
Minor temple, Byodoin Temple |
Saishion, Byodoin Temple |
Gate within Byodoin Temple complex |
Jodoin, Byodoin Temple |
Jodoin, Byodoin Temple |
Saishion, Byodoin Temple |
Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Temple Bell Tower, Byodoin Temple |
Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Tree stump in garden of Byodoin Temple |
Phoenix Hall, Byodoin Temple |
Tori Byodoin Temple |
Kannondo (Avalokitesvara Hall) Byodoin Temple |
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(Article
based on
Wikipedia article and used under the
GNU Free Documentation License)
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