The , is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

with the ruins of a late Hakuhō to early

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. ...

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 ...

located in the Osashima neighborhood of the city of

Ena, Gifu 300px, Ena City Hall is a city located in Gifu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 48,777, and a population density of 96.7 persons per km², in 19,820 households. The total area of the city was . Geography Ena is located in the ...

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 no longer exists, but the temple grounds were designated as a National Historic Sitein 2001.

History

The Shōge temple ruins are located on a hill at the southern edge of the Ena Basin in eastern Gifu Prefecture at an elevation of 325 meters. Although the ruins of an abandoned temple have long been known to exist, there is no mention of the site in historic literature. The Ena City Board of Education commissioned an

archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

Nanzan University is a private, Catholic and coeducational higher education institution run by the Society of the Divine Word (SVD) in the Shōwa Ward of Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious private universiti ...

from 1977 to 1979 and again from 1993 to 1999. The survey found the foundations of several buildings and many pottery shards, from which the ruin was dated to the first half of the 8th century. The temple compound measured 110 meters east-to-west by 70 meters north-to-south, and the structures consisted of a

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,

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, ...

, rectory,

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 ...

, and several smaller structures in a layout almost identical to that 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 ...

Ikaruga, Nara is a town in Ikoma District, Nara, Japan. Ikaruga is home to Hōryū-ji and Hokki-ji, ancient Buddhist temples collectively inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Other ancient temples include Hōrin-ji, also in the vicinity of Hōryū-ji. T ...

. No

roof tile A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of temper ...

s were found, indicating that these buildings pre-dated the use of tiled roofs. Also, the layout and design of the main hall was also highly unusual, with the pillars of the eaves arranged radially with respect to the main building. The only other structure known to have a similar arrangement yet discovered is the ruins of the Tamamushi Shrine at

Asuka, Nara is a village located in Takaichi District, Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of April 1, 2017, the village has an estimated population of 5,681, with 2,170 households, and a population density of . The total area is . Asuka is the land where ancient ...

. Two

pit dwelling A pit-house (or ''pit house'', ''pithouse'') is a house built in the ground and used for shelter. Besides providing shelter from the most extreme of weather conditions, these structures may also be used to store food (just like a pantry, a larder ...

s were also identified, one of which may have been a smithy. A large quantity of

Sue ware was a blue-gray form of stoneware pottery fired at high temperature, which was produced in Japan and southern Korea during the Kofun, Nara, and Heian periods of Japanese history. It was initially used for funerary and ritual objects, and origin ...

pottery shards was also recovered from the site. The temple appears to have gone into decline after a fire in the 9th century and to have disappeared by the early 10th century. The foundation of the temple may be connected with the establishment of Ena District government administrative complex, which also occurred in the first have of the eighth century. The site is located about 1.6 km south of

Ena Station is a railway station in the city of Ena, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and by the third-sector railway operator Akechi Railway. Lines Ena Station is served by the Chūō Main Line, and is locate ...

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 ...

Chūō Main Line The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It connects Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faste ...

, but as the site was backfilled after excavation, there are no public facilities.

References

External links

{{commons category, Shoge-haiji
Gifu Prefecture home pageEna City pamphlet
Buddhist temples in Gifu Prefecture Ena, Gifu Mino Province Asuka period Historic Sites of Japan Buddhist archaeological sites in Japan

History

See also

References

External links