is a
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 ...
in Fuchū neighborhood of the city of
Ishioka, Ibaraki
260px, Ishioka City Hall
is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 72,351 in 28,291 households and a population density of 336 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 33. ...
, Japan, belonging to the
Shingon-shū Chizan-ha sect, and is 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 ...
("kokubunji") of former
Hitachi Province
was an old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture.Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Hitachi fudoki''" in . It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Shimōsa Province, S ...
. The ruins of 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 ...
temple and the nearby nunnery have been collectively protected as a
National Historic Site since 1922.
In 1952, the designation was upgraded to that of a Special National Historic Site.
Hitachi Kokubun-ji
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, 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 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 ...
.
These temples had the dual purpose of promoting Buddhism as the
national religion of Japan and standardising control of the
Yamato
was originally the area around today's Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a name for the whole of Japan.
Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial House of Japan.
Japanese his ...
rule to the provinces.
The actual date the Hitachi Kokubun-ji was founded is unknown. Per the "Hitachi-Fuchū Kagami", the temple was founded in 743 and consecrated in 752 AD. The original design of the temple was a walled square compound measuring 270 meters east-to-west by 240 meters north-to-south. The compound contained a large
South Gate, Middle Gate,
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
* Kond ...
, Lecture Hall,
Cloister
A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...
s,
Rectory
A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage.
Function
A clergy house is typically ow ...
and a seven-story
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, ...
,
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 ...
,
Shōrō
The two main types of bell tower in Japan
The or is the bell tower of a Buddhist temple in Japan, housing the temple's . It can also be found at some Shinto shrines which used to function as temples (see article '' Shinbutsu shūgō''), as ...
,
Kuri, and dormitory. However, as the buildings of the modern temple partially overlap the foundations of the ancient temple, the exact size and placement of many of the structures of the ancient temple are uncertain. The site was surveyed in 1977 and
excavated in 1982 at which time it was estimated that the original Kondō was four times larger than the present temple's Hondō.The patterns on some of the roof tiles are identical to the eaves tiles found at the Heijō-kyō palace site in Nara, suggesting that experts from the central government were providing technical guidance when the temple was constructed.
Per the ''
Engishiki
The is a Japanese book about laws and customs. The major part of the writing was completed in 927. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Engi-shiki''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 178.
History
In 905, Emperor Daigo ordered the compilation of the ...
'' records of 927 AD, the temple was one of the richest in the ''kokubunji'' system in terms of rice revenue. The temple was destroyed once by a fire, some 80 years after it was founded, and again in 939 AD during the rebellion of
Taira no Masakado
was a Heian period provincial magnate (''gōzoku'') and samurai based in eastern Japan, notable for leading the first recorded uprising against the central government in Kyōto.
Early life
Masakado was one of the sons of Taira no Yoshimasa ...
. It was rebuilt both times, but was against largely destroyed by fire during the battles of the
Satake clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Minamoto clan. Its first power base was in Hitachi Province. The clan was subdued by Minamoto no Yoritomo in the late 12th century, but later entered Yoritomo's service as vassals ...
in the
Sengoku period
The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615.
The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...
, the last of which was in 1585. The temple went into rapid decline afterwards, and by the
Keichō
was a after ''Bunroku'' and before ''Genna''. This period spanned from October 1596 to July 1615. The reigning emperors were and .
Change of era
* 1596 : The era name was changed to ''Keichō'' to mark the passing of various natural disasters ...
era (1596-1615) it did not even have a resident priest, but was reduced in status to that of a subsidiary chapel of a neighboring temple called the Senjū-in.
The current Hitachi Kokubun-ji was established in 1919 by the merger of Senjū-in with the remnant of the ancient Hitachi Kokubun-ji. The temple is about a ten-minute walk from
Ishioka Station
is a passenger railway station located in the city of Ishioka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
Lines
Ishioka Station is served by the Joban Line, and is located 80.0 km from the official s ...
on the
JR East
The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
Jōban Line
The Jōban Line ( ja, 常磐線, ) is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line officially begins at Nippori Station in Arakawa, Tokyo before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, ...
.
Hitachi Kokubun-niji
The provincial nunnery, the associated with the Hitachi Kokubun-ji was located about 600 meters to the northwest. The nunnery occupied a 164 meter square walled compound, within which the buildings were arranged in the manner of
Tōdai-ji
is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year ...
in
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 ...
with a South Gate, Middle Gate, Kondō, and Lecture Hall arranged in a straight line.
Cloisters from the left and right of the Middle Gate surrounded the Kondō and connected it to the Lecture Hall. Per the ''Shinpen Hitachi-no-kuni-shi'', the nunnery was burned down during a battle involving the Satake clan in 1590.
Per an excavation conducted in1969, traces of moats that demarcate the temple with a width of about three meters were discovered in the west, south, and north sides.
See also
*
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 ...
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Ibaraki)
This list is of the Historic Sites of Japan located within Ibaraki Prefecture.
National Historic Sites
As of January 1, 2021, thirty-three Sites have been designated as being of national significance (including three * Special Historic Sites) ...
References
External links
Hitachi Kokubun-ji per Ishioka City home page]
{{in lang, ja]
Buddhist temples in Ibaraki Prefecture
Nara period
Ishioka, Ibaraki
History of Ibaraki Prefecture
Special Historic Sites
8th-century establishments in Japan
8th-century Buddhist temples
Buddhist archaeological sites in Japan