Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism)

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 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's is a true two-story building with a 3x2-bay central core ('' moya'') surrounded by a 1-bay wide aisles ('' hisashi''), making it 5x4 bays, surrounded by an external 1-bay wide ''mokoshi'', 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 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 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, but its frequency decreased drastically after the appearance of the term ''hon-dō'' in the Heian period.

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. It became common after the introduction of the two Mikkyo sects (Tendai and Shingon) 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), the ''chudō'' (Tendai), ''mieidō'' ( Jōdo), the ''Amida-dō'' (Jōdo Shinshū). 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's Enryaku-ji.The hall measures 11x6 bays, of which 11x4 are accessible by the public. The Tokugawa funeral temple of Kan'ei-ji, which had been built explicitly to imitate Enryaku-ji, also had one, though it has not survived.Watanabe (2005:30) Yama-dera 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 and Rinzai. 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'' (181 cm-197 cm). It has no ''mokoshi'' (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 (see photo in the gallery below).

Edo period

In the case of the Ōbaku Zen school that arrived late in Japan, the architecture retained the Ming Chinese style. The ''hondō'' of Ōbaku Zen temples is usually called ,Watanabe (2005:52) An example can be found at Mampuku-ji.

Gallery

File:Horyu-ji11s3200.jpg, Hōryū-ji'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's ''Konponchū-dō''
(Japan's National Treasure)
File:Danjogaran Koyasan01n3200.jpg, Mt. Kōya's ''kondō'' on Danjōgaran
File:Daigoji Kyoto01s5s4110.jpg, Daigo-ji's ''kondō''
(Japan's National Treasure)
File:Kyoto Toji Kondo C0947.jpg, Tō-ji's ''kondō''
(Japan's National Treasure)
File:Sanjusangendo temple01s1408.jpg, Sanjūsangen-dō'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's ''kondō''
(Japan's National Treasure)

See also

* '' Shichidō garan'' for details about the main hall's position within a temple compound.
* The Glossary of Japanese Buddhism for terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture.
* Mahavira Hall, 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 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