, or is a
Buddhist
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 ...
temple in Mii,
Ikaruga
is a shoot 'em up developed by Treasure. It is the spiritual sequel to ''Radiant Silvergun'' (1998) and was originally released in Japanese arcades in December 2001. The story follows a rebel pilot named Shinra as he battles an enemy nation u ...
,
Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. The temple is located about a kilometer north of
Hōryū-ji
is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as both a seminary and monastery.
The temple wa ...
's Tō-in. The temple's ''
sangō'' prefix is .
History
The origin of the temple is not certain, although there are two prevalent theories. The temple was either built in 622 AD by
Prince Yamashiro
was the eldest son of one of the most famous figures in Japanese history, Prince Shōtoku. Yamashiro claimed the right to Imperial succession in 628, following the death of Empress Suiko. However, he lost the claim to Prince Tamura who ascended to ...
in his wish for his father,
Prince Regent Shōtoku, to recover from an illness or in 670 by three monks as part of the reconstruction of
Hōryū-ji
is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as both a seminary and monastery.
The temple wa ...
, which had burned down that same year.
The original date of construction is unclear, while studies so far suggest it was in the seventh century. The temple was a designated national treasure until the last remaining original structure of the complex, the three-story pagoda, was hit by
lightning
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electric charge, electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the land, ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous ...
in 1944, and burnt to ground. The current pagoda is a reconstruction from 1975, and holds the original
reliquary
A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including ''wikt:phylactery, phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it i ...
that was saved from the fire in 1944.
The temple holds six Buddhist statues that are designated important cultural assets. These are open to public as regular exhibits.
Images
File:Horinji05n4290.jpg, The '' Minamimon'' gate
File:Horinji03b 1024.jpg, The ''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 ...
'' (main hall)
File:Horinji01b 1024.jpg, The pagoda
A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...
File:Horinji02 2000.jpg, The
See also
*
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 ...
* For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the
Glossary of Japanese Buddhism
This is the glossary of Japanese Buddhism, including major terms the casual (or brand-new) reader might find useful in understanding articles on the subject. Words followed by an asterisk (*) are illustrated by an image in one of the photo galle ...
.
References
* Pamphlet distributed at Hōrin-ji, obtained April 7, 2007
* ''
Daijirin
is a comprehensive single-volume Japanese dictionary edited by , and first published by in 1988. This title is based upon two early Sanseidō dictionaries edited by Shōzaburō Kanazawa (金沢庄三郎, 1872–1967), ''Jirin'' (辞林 "Forest o ...
'' Japanese dictionary, 3rd edition
* ''
Kōjien
is a single-volume Japanese dictionary first published by Iwanami Shoten in 1955. It is widely regarded as the most authoritative dictionary of Japanese, and newspaper editorials frequently cite its definitions. As of 2007, it had sold 11 mil ...
'' Japanese dictionary, 5th edition
External links
Hōrin-ji Homepage (Japanese)
Buddhist temples in Nara Prefecture
Prince Shōtoku
{{Japan-religious-struct-stub