Most temple complexes include at least one pagoda, which is the Japanese version of a stupa. A traditional Japanese pagoda has either three or five stories and is used to house a relic of the Buddha, or at least something representing a relic.
The five-story Toji Pagoda in Kyoto is, at 57 meters (180 feet), the tallest wooden tower in Japan as well as the tallest pagoda.
Toji, the "eastern temple," was established in 796 CE by the Emperor Kammu, just two years after he had moved the capital from Nara to Kyoto. There was also a "western temple," Saiji, which was demolished long ago. In the Emperor Kammu's day the two temples stood on each side of the main gate of Kyoto.
In 823, the Emperor Saga gave the temple to Kukai, the priest who founded the Japanese Buddhist sect of Shingon. Kukai built the original pagoda in 826. However, that pagoda was struck by lightning and burned to the ground, as were several subsequent pagodas. The current Toji Pagoda was built ca. 1645 by the Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.
Most of the other buildings of Toji were destroyed during wars in the early 16th century. An exception is the lecture hall, which was built in 1491 and which houses 15 statues of Buddhist deities that were carved in the 8th and 9th centuries. Like the pagoda, most of the other temple structures remaining today were built in the 17th century.
No comments:
Post a Comment