Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism)
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Main hall is the building within a
Japanese Buddhist 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 ...
temple compound ('' garan'') which enshrines the main object of veneration.
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
Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, this single English term translates several Japanese words, among them ''butsuden'', ''butsu-dō'', ''kondō'', ''konpon-chūdō'', and ''hondō''. ''Hondō'' is its exact Japanese equivalent, while the others are more specialized words used by particular sects or for edifices having a particular structure.


Kondō (Asuka and Nara periods)

The term started to be used during the Asuka and Nara periods. A ''kondō'' is the centerpiece of an ancient Buddhist temple's ''garan'' in Japan. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it may derive from the perceived preciousness of its content, or from the fact that the interior was lined with gold. This is the name used by the oldest temples in the country.Iwanami Nihonshi Jiten A ''kondō'', for example
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 was ...
's is a true two-story building with a 3x2- bay central core ('' moya'') surrounded by a 1-bay wide aisles (''
hisashi Hisashi is a masculine Japanese given name. Its meaning differs depending on the kanji used to write it. Kanji Single kanji used to write the name Hisashi include: *: "long time" *: "eternal" *: "still" *: "standard" *: "complete" *: "long" *: "li ...
''), making it 5x4 bays, surrounded by an external 1-bay wide ''
mokoshi In Japanese architecture , literally "skirt storey" or "cuff storey", is a decorative pent roof surrounding a building below the true roof. Since it does not correspond to any internal division, the ''mokoshi'' gives the impression of there being ...
'', for a total of 9x7 bays. The second story has the same dimensions as the temple's core at the first story, (3x2 bays), but has no ''mokoshi''. Some temples, for example
Asuka-dera , also known as , is a Buddhist temple in Asuka, Nara. Asuka-dera is regarded as one of the oldest temples in Japan. Temple complex A number of records refer to the origin of the temple, such as the '' Nihongi'' and ''Fusō-ryakuki''. The o ...
or Hōryū-ji, have more than one ''kondō'', but normally only one exists and is the first building to be built. Because of its limited size, worshipers were not allowed to enter the building and had to stand outside. The ''kondō'' and a
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, ...
were usually surrounded by a corridor called ''kairō''. The use of ''kondō'' declined after the 10th century, when it was replaced by a ''hondō'' divided in and . The term remained in some use even up to the
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 ...
, but its frequency decreased drastically after the appearance of the term ''hon-dō'' in the
Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...
.


Hondō (Heian period)

The term The term ''hondō'' is translated as "main hall" in Japanese-English dictionaries. () enshrines the most important objects of veneration. The term is thought to have evolved during the 9th century to avoid the early term ''kondō'', at the time 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 schools ...
. It became common after the introduction of the two Mikkyo sects (
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 ...
and
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 ...
) to Japan.JAANUS Various new types of temple buildings, including the ''hondō'', were built during the Heian period, in response to the requirements of new doctrines. Different buildings were called ''hondō'' depending on the sect, for example: the ''kondō'' (
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 ...
), the ''chudō'' (
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 ...
), ''mieidō'' ( Jōdo), the ''Amida-dō'' (
Jōdo Shinshū , also known as Shin Buddhism or True Pure Land Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Shin Buddhism is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan. History Shinran ( ...
). A notable evolution of the ''hondō'' during this period is the inclusion of a space for worshipers inside the ''hondō'' itself, called ''gejin'' (see above). Other names such as are used as well, for example for the main hall at
Mount Hiei is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, Japan. The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tendai (Chin. Tiantai) sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei b ...
's
Enryaku-ji is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was first founded in 788 during the early Heian period (794–1185) by Saichō was a Japanese Buddhist monk credited with founding the Tendai school of Buddhism bas ...
.The hall measures 11x6 bays, of which 11x4 are accessible by the public. The Tokugawa funeral temple of
Kan'ei-ji (also spelled Kan'eiji or Kaneiji) is a Tendai Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1625 during the Kan'ei era by Tenkai, in an attempt to emulate the powerful religious center Enryaku-ji, in Kyoto. The main object of worship is .Nihon Re ...
, which had been built explicitly to imitate Enryaku-ji, also had one, though it has not survived.Watanabe (2005:30)
Yama-dera : ''You may also be looking for the voice actor Kōichi Yamadera.'' , (山号 宝珠山; ''Sangō Hōshu-zan'') is the popular name for the Buddhist temple of located northeast of Yamagata City, in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Its main image i ...
in Yamagata is another example of a temple using this name.


''Butsuden'' (Kamakura period)

The or is the main hall of Zen temples of schools such as the
Sōtō Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngsh ...
and
Rinzai The Rinzai school ( ja, , Rinzai-shū, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (along with Sōtō and Ōbaku). The Chinese Linji school of Chan was first transmitted to Japan by Myōan ...
. This architectonic style arrived together with Zen during the Kamakura period. There are following types of ''butsuden'' or ''butsu-dō'': * The simplest is a 3x3-bay square building. A bay is the space between two pillars, comparable to a Japanese ''
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 ...
'' (181 cm-197 cm). It has no ''
mokoshi In Japanese architecture , literally "skirt storey" or "cuff storey", is a decorative pent roof surrounding a building below the true roof. Since it does not correspond to any internal division, the ''mokoshi'' gives the impression of there being ...
'' (an enclosure circling the core of the temple covered by a pent roof, usually one bay in width). * The second type is also 3x3-bay square, but has a 1-bay-wide ''mokoshi'' all around the core of the temple, making it look like a two-story, 5x5-bay building as in the case of the ''butsuden'', visible in the photo on the right. * It is also known that during the 13th and 14th centuries, very large ''butsuden'' measuring 5x5 bays square having a ''mokoshi'' were built, but none survives. Large size 3x3-bay ''butsuden'' with a ''mokoshi'' however still exist, for example at
Myōshin-ji is a temple complex in Kyoto, Japan, and head temple of the associated branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. The Myōshin-ji school is by far the largest school in Rinzai Zen, approximately as big as the other thirteen branches combined: it contains wit ...
(see photo in the
gallery Gallery or The Gallery may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Art gallery ** Contemporary art gallery Music * Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s Albums * ''Gallery'' (Elaiza album), 2014 album * ''Gallery'' (Gr ...
below).


Edo period

In the case of the
Ōbaku The is one of several schools of Zen in Japanese Buddhism, in addition to Sōtō and Rinzai. History Often termed the third sect of Zen Buddhism in Japan, Ōbaku-shū was established in 1661 by a small faction of masters from China and their ...
Zen school that arrived late in Japan, the architecture retained the
Ming Chinese The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...
style. The ''hondō'' of Ōbaku Zen temples is usually called ,Watanabe (2005:52) An example can be found at
Mampuku-ji is a Buddhist temple located in Uji, Kyoto. It is the head temple of the Japanese Ōbaku Zen sect, named after Wanfu Temple in Fujian, China. The mountain is likewise named after Mount Huangbo, where the Chinese temple is situated. History ...
.


Gallery

File:Horyu-ji11s3200.jpg,
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 was ...
's ''kondō''
( Japan's National Treasure) File:Kakogawa Kakurinji12n4592.jpg, Kakurin-ji's ''hon-dō''
(Japan's National Treasure) File:Enryakuji Konponchudo04n4272.jpg,
Enryaku-ji is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was first founded in 788 during the early Heian period (794–1185) by Saichō was a Japanese Buddhist monk credited with founding the Tendai school of Buddhism bas ...
's ''Konponchū-dō''
(Japan's National Treasure) File:Danjogaran Koyasan01n3200.jpg, Mt. Kōya's ''kondō'' on Danjōgaran File:Daigoji Kyoto01s5s4110.jpg,
Daigo-ji is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Its main devotion ('' honzon'') is Yakushi. ''Daigo'', literally "ghee", is used figuratively to mean " crème de la crème" and is a metaphor of the most profound part of Buddhist thoug ...
's ''kondō''
(Japan's National Treasure) File:Kyoto Toji Kondo C0947.jpg,
Tō-ji , also known as is a Shingon Buddhist temple in the Minami-ku ward of Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 796, it was one of the only three Buddhist temples allowed in the city at the time it became the capital of Japan. As such it has a long history, h ...
's ''kondō''
(Japan's National Treasure) File:Sanjusangendo temple01s1408.jpg,
Sanjūsangen-dō is a Buddhist temple of the Tendai sect in the Higashiyama district of Kyoto, Japan. The temple was founded in 1164 by Taira no Kiyomori for the cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa. It is officially known as and belongs to the Myōhō-in templ ...
's ''hon-dō''
(Japan's National Treasure) File:Kinpusenji Yoshino Nara02n4272.jpg, Kinpusenji's ''Zao-dō'' (''hon-dō'')
(Japan's National Treasure) File:Ninna Temple Golden Hall.jpg,
Ninna-ji is the head temple of the Omuro school of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. Located in western Kyoto, Japan, it was first founded in AD 888 by Emperor Uda, and was later reconstructed in the 17th century. It is part of the Historic Monuments of A ...
's ''kondō''
(Japan's National Treasure)


See also

* ''
Shichidō garan ''Shichidō garan'' is a Japanese Buddhist term indicating the seven halls composing the ideal Buddhist temple compound. This compound word is composed of , literally meaning "seven halls", and , meaning "temple". The term is often shortened t ...
'' for details about the main hall's position within a temple compound. * 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 ...
for terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture. *
Mahavira Hall A Mahavira Hall, usually simply known as a Main Hall, is the main hall or building in a traditional Chinese Buddhist temple, enshrining representations of Gautama Buddha and various other buddhas and bodhisattvas. It is encountered throughout ...
, the main hall common in Chinese and Korean Buddhist temples


Notes


References


Citations


Bibliography

* Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version *''Iwanami Nihonshi Jiten'' (岩波日本史辞典), CD-Rom Version. Iwanami Shoten, 1999-2001. * ''The Evolution of Buddhist Architecture in Japan'' by
Alexander Soper Alexander Coburn Soper III (February 18, 1904 – January 13, 1993) was an American art historian who specialized in Asian art. He was a longtime editor of the journal ''Artibus Asiae'' and professor at the Institute of Fine Arts of New York Uni ...
1978,
Japanese Art Net User System
Dictionary of Japanese Architectural and Art Historical Terminology, ''Butsuden'', ''Kondou'', ''Hondou'' entries. Accessed on May 6, 2009 * {{Buddhist temples in Japan Japanese Buddhist architecture