. It is very often used in

Japanese Buddhism Buddhism has been practiced in Japan since about the 6th century CE. Japanese Buddhism () created many new Buddhist schools, and some schools are original to Japan and some are derived from Chinese Buddhist schools. Japanese Buddhism has had a ...

as a suffix in the name of some of the many buildings that can be part of a Japanese temple compound. (Other endings, for example -''den'' as in ''

butsuden Main hall is the building within a Japanese Buddhist temple compound ('' garan'') which enshrines the main object of veneration.Kōjien Japanese dictionary Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, this single English t ...

'', exist.) The prefix can be the name of a deity associated with it (e.g. ''Yakushi-dō'', a name customarily translated as "

Yakushi Bhaiṣajyaguru ( sa, भैषज्यगुरु, zh, t= , ja, 薬師仏, ko, 약사불, bo, སངས་རྒྱས་སྨན་བླ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja ("Medicine Master ...

Hall") or express the building's function within the temple's compound (e.g. ''

hon-dō Main hall is the building within a Japanese Buddhist temple compound ('' garan'') which enshrines the main object of veneration.Kōjien Japanese dictionary Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, this single English t ...

'', or main hall).Hall names are capitalized only when they refer to specific examples (e.g. XX-ji's Main Hall) or include proper names of deities (e.g. Yakushi-dō). Some words ending in -''dō'' are ''Butsu-dō'', ''hō-dō'', ''hon-dō'', ''jiki-dō'', ''kaisan-dō'', ''kō-dō'', ''kon-dō'', ''kyō-dō'', ''mandara-dō'', ''miei-dō'', ''mi-dō'', ''sō-dō'', ''Yakushi-dō'' and ''zen-dō''. With some exceptions, for example the words ''hondō'', ''hokke-dō'' and ''kon-dō'', these terms do not indicate any particular structure. The suffix is used sometimes also in a lay context, as for example in the word . A ''dō's'' size is measured in ''

ken Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in ...

'', where a ''ken'' is the interval between two pillars of a traditional-style building. A ''

kon-dō Main hall is the building within a Japanese Buddhist temple compound ('' garan'') which enshrines the main object of veneration.Kōjien Japanese dictionary Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, this single English t ...

'' for example is a 9x7 ''ken''. The word is usually translated in English as "bay" and is better understood as an indication of proportions than as a unit of measurement.

Types

*''Amida-dō'' (阿弥陀堂) – a building that enshrines a statue of Amida. *''daishi-dō'' (大師堂) – lit. "great master hall". A building dedicated to Kōbō Daishi (

Shingon file:Koyasan (Mount Koya) monks.jpg, Shingon monks at Mount Koya is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks suc ...

) or Dengyō Daishi (

Tendai , also known as the Tendai Lotus School (天台法華宗 ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just "''hokke shū''") is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition (with significant esoteric elements) officially established in Japan in 806 by the Japanese m ...

). *''hattō*'' (法堂) – lit. ''

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

'' hall". A building dedicated to lectures by the chief priest on Buddhism's scriptures (the ''hō'').Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version *''hō-dō'' (法堂) – see ''hattō''. *''hokke-dō*'' (法華堂) – lit. "Lotus Sūtra hall". In

Buddhism, a hall whose layout allows walking around a statue for meditation. The purpose of walking is to concentrate on the '' Lotus Sũtra'' and seek the ultimate truth. *''

*'' (本堂) – lit. "main hall", it is the building that houses the most important statues and objects of cult. The term is thought to have evolved to avoid the term ''kon-dō'' used by six Nara sects (the ''

Nanto Rokushū The Six Schools of Nara Buddhism, also known as the ''Rokushū'' 六宗 (also ''Rokushuu/Rokushu''), were academic Buddhist sects. These schools came to Japan from Korea and China during the late 6th and early 7th centuries. All of these schoo ...

'') for their main halls. Structurally similar, but its inner less strictly defined. *''jiki-dō*'' (食堂) – a monastery's refectory. *''kaisan-dō'' (開山堂) – founder's hall, usually at a Zen temple. Building enshrining a statue, portrait or memorial tablet of the founder of either the temple or the sect it belongs to. Jōdo sect temples often call it ''miei-dō''. * ''kō-dō*'' (講堂) – lecture hall of a non-Zen '' garan''. *''

*'' (金堂) – lit. "golden hall", it is the main hall of a ''garan'', housing the main object of worship. Unlike a ''butsuden'', it is a true two-story building (although the second story may sometimes be missing) which measures 9x7 bays. *''kyō-dō'' (経堂) – see ''

kyōzō in Japanese Buddhist architecture is a repository for sūtras and chronicles of the temple history. It is also called , , or . In ancient times the ''kyōzō'' was placed opposite the belfry on the east–west axis of the temple. The earliest ex ...

''. *''

'' (経蔵) – lit. "scriptures deposit". Repository of

sūtra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an aph ...

s and books about the temple's history. Also called ''kyō–dō''. *''mandara-dō'' (曼荼羅堂) – lit. "hall of mandalas", but the name is now used only for Taimadera's Main Hall in Nara. *''miei-dō*'' (御影堂) – lit. "image hall". Building housing an image of the temple's founder, equivalent to a Zen sect's ''kaisan-dō''. *''mi-dō'' (御堂) – a generic honorific term for a building which enshrines a sacred statue. *''rokkaku-dō'' (六角堂) – a hexagonal temple building. An example of this type of structure gives its nickname to Kyoto's Chōhō-ji, better known as Rokkaku-dō. *''shaka-dō'' (釈迦堂) – lit. Shakyamuni hall. A building enshrining a statue of Buddha. *''sō-dō*'' (僧堂) – lit. "monk hall". A building dedicated to the practice of ''

zazen ''Zazen'' (literally " seated meditation"; ja, 座禅; , pronounced ) is a meditative discipline that is typically the primary practice of the Zen Buddhist tradition. However, the term is a general one not unique to Zen, and thus technicall ...

''. It used to be dedicated to various activities, from eating to sleeping, centered on ''zazen''. *''soshi-dō'' (祖師堂) – lit. "patriarchs hall". A building dedicated to the ''soshi'', important teachers and priests. *''Yakushi-dō*'' (薬師堂) – a building that enshrines a statue of

Nyorai. *'' zen-dō*'' (禅堂) – lit. "hall of Zen". The building where monks practice ''zazen'', and one of the main structures of a Zen ''garan''.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Do (Architecture) Japanese Buddhist architecture Japanese architectural features