Yakushiji

August 22, 2016 by Brennan Duff in Temples

Yakushiji is a temple of the Hosso sect of Buddhism southwest from the city of Nara. Built in the 7th century by Emperor Temmu, the temple is named after and dedicated to the medicine Buddha Yakushi because the Empress was suffering from illness. Yakushiji, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is also home to a number of National Treasures identified by the Japanese government including several halls, statues, and the eastern of the temple's two pagodas being the only structure from the 8th century to survive the flames that have destroyed the temple on many occasions. There is a a steady procession of construction projects moving through to renovate and repair the temple structures.

For the casual: 9. For the educated: 9.

Yakushiji is a great look into the past. Considered one of the Seven Great Temples of Nara, Yakushiji is one of the oldest of the great temples and is also the premier temple devoted to the medicine Buddha Yakushi. Walking around the temple grounds felt very strange to an extent because although it was adjacent to a train station, I felt very cut off from the world- in a good way. There were other visitors but largely I felt like I was on my own walking around the temple. The interior of the halls were truly brilliant with bright colors and motifs. With the lack of other visitors, I felt like I was really given the chance to make a personal connection to the temple and to the artifacts that are housed within, something that should not be overlooked when planning which temples to visit.

One of my favorite aspects of the temple is how well it balances visual elegance while also appearing very serene. Yakushiji was built in a much different time from more iconic luscious temples like Ginkakuji or Ryôanji which are temples of the Zen sect of Buddhism and therefore seek to incorporate a strong sense of natural beauty. Yakushiji was constructed during an ancient time when the Emperor had real political power to show off the influence of the Imperial family as the nation adopted the Chinese Imperial model of ostentatious living. In that sense, the red-orange color of the buildings screams to be noticed and the gilt braces and eaves of the halls reflect the prowess of the Emperor, while the quiet interiors with flowers and silk and the large open areas of the temple allow the viewer to enjoy the beauty of the temple without being overburdened.

The Main Hall of Yakushiji housing the main Yakushi Triad with the scaffolding of the Eastern Pagoda undergoing renovations until 2019.

The Eastern Pagoda: the oldest surviving building since the 8th century.

The Lecture hall of Yakushiji. Inside is another collection of Yakushi Triad statues..

Tôdaiji

May 10, 2016 by Brennan Duff in Temples

Tôdaiji is a monumental temple in the city of Nara and was opened in 752 following the Eye-Opening Ceremony to the Buddha housed within. Founded by Emperor Shômu, Tôdaiji was built to be the center of all Buddhism in Japan.

For the casual: 11. For the educated: 11.

If you're one of the few people to probably read through all of my posts (and thank you so much to those folks), you've probably noticed that only once before have I rated a location outside of my 1-10 scale, and there is a reason why this temple also has 11 out of 10 on my scale. In addition, you may have noticed that I didn't really write anything in the first section, and that's because I wanted to cover most of that information here in my "geek-out" section.

Tôdaiji essentially translates into "The Great Eastern Temple," and that title is no exaggeration. Tôdaiji is a wonder of the world, a feast of the senses, and a cathedral of the Buddhist world. Tôdaiji, like many old temple complexes, has lost many of its buildings to fires, earthquakes, and political struggles. However, the original size of the temple complex can be felt as you walk the long distance from the start of the main road, through the two gates, and then finally to the temple itself. At the first gate, the Great South Gate, visitors get to meet the two greatest Nio Guardians. These Nio Guardians embody and take the role of Agyô and Ungyô, the guardians of pilgrims. The Nio Guardians are 8.4 meters tall (27.5 ft.), and were constructed at the turn of the 13th century after being burned down in the war between the Taira and Minamoto samurai clans. The statues were cleaned up in 1988 and were found to have sutras concealed within. Buddhist piñata anyone?

The next gate represents the boundary to the Daibutsudô, the Hall of the Great Buddha, and it too has a pair of Nio Guardians although these two are far overshadowed by the prior. The Daibutsudô is hard to picture in size, especially when you consider that the Daibutsudô at Tôdaiji is the largest wooden structure IN THE WORLD!!! Then things get even harder to imagine when you learn that the current Daibutsudô was built in 1692 with funding from the Tokugawa Shogunate, but this Daibutsudô is only 2/3rds the size of the ORIGINAL Daibutsudô. So how big is that? That's 48.2 meters tall (158 ft.) and 57 meters (187 ft.) by 50.4 meters (167 ft.). That's a huge building, but if that's still too difficult to picture in your head, inside the Daibutsudô there are models of the various Daibutsudô that have stood.

Inside the Daibutsudô is a bronze statue of Vairocana, known as Dainichi Nyorai in Japanese, and The Universal Buddha in English. Vairocana is what Sakyamuni (the Historical Buddha) became once he passed on and attained true enlightenment. This statue of Vairocana is 15 meters (49 ft.) tall and made of bronze, making it one of the largest bronze Buddhist statues in the world. Surrounding the image of Vairocana in the mandarla (Buddhist halo) are smaller images of Vairocana, showing how as the Universal Buddha, he radiates his light to all worlds at all points in time. Like all images of the Buddha, Vairocana is flanked by two Bodhisattva who are equally massive. These Bodhisattva serve as aids and the final defense to protect the Buddha from evil spirits. Fun fact: when they clean the statue, one of the people actually sits in his palm as he cleans.

One of the two Nio Guardians at the Great South Gate. This one is Ungyô, representing the end of all things.

The Daibutsudô of Tôdaiji. The window directly above the entrance is opened to reveal the face of Vairocana. This is installed so that in the older ages, even commoners who were unable to enter the temple at the time could make a visual connection t… — The Daibutsudô of Tôdaiji. The window directly above the entrance is opened to reveal the face of Vairocana. This is installed so that in the older ages, even commoners who were unable to enter the temple at the time could make a visual connection to the Buddha.

I would totally keep posting the multitude of photos that I have of the temple, but it's probably better if I stop now and let you take your own. Enjoy!!!

Kôfukuji

April 18, 2016 by Brennan Duff in Temples

Kôfukuji was founded in 668 by Emperor Tenji, and is one of the oldest and grandest of the temples in Japan. Located in Nara, the first Imperial capital of Japan, Kôfukuji was considered one of the four great temples of the Nara period, and one of the seven great temples on the Heian period. It earned these titles by receiving many many years of patronage from the powerful Fujiwara clan and the Imperial family. Kôfukuji grew throughout its history but lost most of its property with the religious reformations in the Meiji period (19th century), but has stabilized in recent years. Kôfukuji is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

For the casual: 9. For the educated: 9.

Kôfukuji, like many temples right now, are undergoing some major renovations over the next few years, so it might be hard for some to truly imagine how great Kôfukuji is. That being said, visitors can enter the Golden Hall which houses the oldest Buddhist statues in Japan, can visit the Octagonal Hall, and many many other smaller halls and pagodas. Most of the buildings at Kôfukuji are considered at least Important Cultural Assets if not National Treasures.

Do Not Feed the Deer!!!!

Eastern Golden Hall (National Treasure) and Five Story Pagoda (National Treasure)

Byôdô-in and the Hôôdô

April 18, 2016 by Brennan Duff in Temples

Byôdô-in is a Buddhist temple of the Jodo Pure Land sect in the city of Uji just south of Kyoto. Originally built in 998 as a villa for renowned Heian-period aristocrat Fujiwara Michinaga, it was later converted into a temple by Michinaga's son Yorimichi in 1052. The crown jewel of Byôdô-in is a hall called the Hôôdô, or Phoenix Hall. Though the rest of the temple has been lost to repetitive fires, the Hôôdô has not and stands as one of the few buildings in Japan that are still standing from the Heian Period. The Hôôdô is known for its striking architecture, but it is also renown for its statue of Amida Buddha carved by Jocho, one of the most celebrated sculptors of the time. Jocho's statues represent the figures with a very comfortable and relaxed body shape. With the Amida Buddha in the Hôôdô, Amida has a gentle round face and rounded shoulders to show that he is at peace, a contrast to the stern and rigid statues that predate it. The combination of the building and the statue makes the Hôôdô one of the most iconic buildings in Japan. If visitors cannot make it there, you can find it on the back of the 10 yen coin.

For the casual: 7. For the educated: 9.

As much as I love this hall, I find it very hard for people to appreciate it without the historical and art historical significance being explained, and as much as I would love to explain it to everyone, I really don't have the time or space to write it all out. So please believe me when I say that if you don't know the nitty-gritty significance but want to see a building that radiates history, please oh please go to Byôdô-in. There is a museum right behind the hall which houses many of the treasures that once were kept in the temple.