Bitchū Kokubun-ji Pagoda (ICP)
The is an
Omuro-branch Shingon Buddhist temple
A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represen ...
located in what is now the Kamibayashi neighborhood of the city of
Sōja
is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. As of 2020, the city has an estimated population of 69,343 and a population density of 322 persons per km2. The total area is 211.90 km2.
History
In the 7th century, Ki Castle was built atop ...
, Japan. Its
main image is a statue of
Yakushi Nyorai. It claims to be the successor to one of the
provincial temple
were Buddhist temples established in each of the provinces of Japan by Emperor Shōmu during the Nara period (710 – 794).
History
Shōmu (701 – 756?) decreed both a ''kokubun-ji'' for monks and a for nuns to be established in each ...
s per the system established by
Emperor Shōmu
was the 45th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 聖武天皇 (45)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 749, during the Nara period.
Traditional narrative
Be ...
during the
Nara period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...
(710 – 794) for the purpose of promoting
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
as the
national religion of Japan and standardising
imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, Texa ...
rule over the provinces.
The ruins of the original Bitchū Kokubun-ji were designated as a
National Historic Site in 1968,
but the ruins of the associated provincial nunnery, the were actually designated earlier, in 1922.
Overview
The ''
Shoku Nihongi
The is an imperially-commissioned Japanese history text. Completed in 797, it is the second of the ''Six National Histories'', coming directly after the '' Nihon Shoki'' and followed by ''Nihon Kōki''. Fujiwara no Tsugutada and Sugano no Mamichi ...
'' records that in 741 AD, as the country recovered from a
major smallpox epidemic,
Emperor Shōmu
was the 45th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 聖武天皇 (45)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 749, during the Nara period.
Traditional narrative
Be ...
ordered that a state-subsidized monastery and nunnery be established in every
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
for the promotion of Buddhism and to enhance political unification per the new ''
ritsuryō
, , is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (律令制). ''Kyaku'' (格) are amendments of Ritsuryō, ''Shiki'' ( ...
'' system. These were the .
The temples were constructed per a more-or-less standardized template, and were each to be staffed by twenty clerics who would pray for the state's protection. The associated provincial nunneries (''kokubunniji'') were on a smaller scale, each housing ten nuns to pray for the atonement of sins. This system declined when the capital was moved from Nara to Kyoto in 794 AD.
Bitchū Kokubun-ji
Little is known of the history of the Bitchū Kokubun-ji. According to the temple's own account, it had become abandoned after it was burned down in the wars of the
Nanboku-chō period, and was rebuilt during the
Tenshō era (1573-1592) by
Shimizu Muneharu
, also known as , was a military commander during the Sengoku period. He served the Mōri clan (one of the powerful clans in Bitchu Province) as a retainer to Kobayakawa Takakage and took part in the expedition to unify the Chūgoku region. He wa ...
, the lord of
Bitchū-Takamatsu Castle; however, it fell into decline again and was rebuilt during the
Hōei era (1704-1711) in the mid-
Edo period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...
. These dates are supported by earthenware fragments found at the site. During
archaeological excavation
In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...
s, the Nara-period temple was found to have occupied an area of two
''chō'' (approximately 218 meters square) and the cornerstones of the South Gate and Middle Gate were discovered. The site of the modern temple overlaps with the original temple, so many details are not clear; however, the original temple appears to have a layout patterned after
Hokki-ji
– formerly known as and – is a Buddhist temple in Okamoto, Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The temple's honorary '' sangō'' prefix is , although it is rarely used.
The temple was constructed to honor Avalokitesvara, and an 11-faced st ...
in
Ikaruga, Nara
is a town in Ikoma District, Nara, Japan.
Ikaruga is home to Hōryū-ji and Hokki-ji, ancient Buddhist temples collectively inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Other ancient temples include Hōrin-ji, also in the vicinity of Hōryū-ji. T ...
. The foundations of the
Kondō
Kondō, Kondo or Kondou (近藤 "near wisteria") is a surname prominent in Japanese culture, although it also occurs in other countries. Notable people with the surname include:
* , Japanese ballet dancer
* Dorinne K. Kondo, anthropologist
* Kon ...
have not been found.
The temple's landmark 34.3 meter five-story stone pagoda dates from the mid-Edo period reconstruction of the temple.
It is designated a National
Important Cultural Property.
The temple is located in the , and
Kōmorizuka Kofun
is a Kofun period burial mound, located in the Kanbayashi neighborhood of the city of Sōja, Okayama Prefecture, in the San'yō region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1968. It was formerly known as t ...
is nearby. The site is about ten minutes by taxi from
Higashi-Sōja Station on the
JR West
, also referred to as , is one of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) companies and operates in western Honshu. It has its headquarters in Kita-ku, Osaka. It is listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange, is a constituent of the TOPIX Large70 index, and ...
Momotaro Line. The Bitchū Kokubun-niji is about 600 meters east.
Bitchū Kokubun-niji
The ruins of the provincial nunnery, or Bitchū Kokubun-niji, is located 600 meters east of the Bitchū Kokubun-ji (). It occupied a compound 108 meters east-lowest by 216 meters north-to-south. Nothing is known of its history, and it appears to have been destroyed by fire in the Nanboku-chō period. The foundation stones for the South gate, a portion of the Middle Gate, Kondō, Lecture Hall and nun's quarters have been found on north–south axis.
See also
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Okayama)
This list is of the Monuments of Japan, Historic Sites of Japan located within the Prefectures of Japan, Prefecture of Okayama Prefecture, Okayama.
National Historic Sites
As of 6 August 2019, forty-seven Sites have been Cultural Properties of J ...
*
provincial temple
were Buddhist temples established in each of the provinces of Japan by Emperor Shōmu during the Nara period (710 – 794).
History
Shōmu (701 – 756?) decreed both a ''kokubun-ji'' for monks and a for nuns to be established in each ...
References
External links
Soja city official site{{in lang, ja
Historic Sites of Japan
Sōja, Okayama
Bitchū Province
8th-century establishments in Japan
Nara period
Buddhist archaeological sites in Japan
