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Shōfuku-ji (Higashimurayama)
is a Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple in Higashimurayama, Tokyo, Japan. Its early 15th century Jizō hall is a registered National Treasure of Japan. It is considered to be the oldest intact building in Tokyo Prefecture and a unique example of Kamakura period architecture. History Shōfuku-ji was founded in 1270, during the Kamakura period. The temple records state that a Jizō hall was built in 1278 under the sponsorship of Kamakura Regent Hōjō Tokiyori. Tradition holds that the Regent fell ill while on hunting expedition and was nursed back to health back by a resident priest. In gratitude, Tokiyori commissioned builders from Kamakura to build the Jizō hall. There is some question as to the accuracy of this story given that Tokiyori died in 1263. Nonetheless, official patronage from the Kamakura shogunate was key in the temple construction. It is worth noting that the temple may have been founded and constructed during the ministry of Tokiyori's son, Hōjō Tokimune under ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Higashimurayama, Tokyo
is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 148,275, and a population density of 8700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Higashimurayama is located on the eastern edge of the Sayama Hills, almost in the center of the Musashino Terrace. Most of the city area is flat, except for the northwestern hills. Surrounding municipalities Tokyo Metropolis *Higashikurume * Kiyose *Higashiyamato * Kodaira Saitama Prefecture *Tokorozawa Climate Higashimurayama has a Humid subtropical climate (Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Higashimurayama is 14.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1647 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.3 °C. Demographics Per Japanese census data, the popula ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 galleries. Within definitions, words set in boldface are defined elsewhere in the glossary. __NOTOC__ A * ''agyō''* (阿形) – A type of statue (of a Niō, komainu, etc.) with its mouth open to pronounce the sound "a", first letter of the Sanskrit alphabet and symbol of the beginning of all things. See also ''ungyō''. * Amida Nyorai (阿弥陀如来) – Japanese name of Amitabha, deity worshiped mainly by the Pure Land sect.''Kōjien Japanese dictionary'' * – A Hermitage. * arhat – see arakan. * ''arakan*'' (阿羅漢) – the highest level of Buddhist ascetic practice, or someone who has reached it. The term is often shortened to just ''rakan'' (羅漢). B *bay – see ken. *'' bettō'' (別当) – Previously the title o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kṣitigarbha
Kṣitigarbha ( sa, क्षितिगर्भ, , bo, ས་ཡི་སྙིང་པོ་ Wylie: ''sa yi snying po'') is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism and usually depicted as a Buddhist monk. His name may be translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb". Kṣitigarbha is known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds between the death of Gautama Buddha and the rise of Maitreya, as well as his vow not to achieve Buddhahood until all hells are emptied. He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisattva of hell-beings, as well as the guardian of children and patron deity of deceased children and aborted fetuses in Japanese culture. Usually depicted as a monk with a halo around his shaved head, he carries a staff to force open the gates of hell and a wish-fulfilling jewel to light up the darkness. Overview Kṣitigarbha is one of the four principal bodhisattvas in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Architecture
has been typified by wooden structures, elevated slightly off the ground, with tiled or thatched roofs. Sliding doors ('' fusuma'') and other traditional partitions were used in place of walls, allowing the internal configuration of a space to be customized for different occasions. People usually sat on cushions or otherwise on the floor, traditionally; chairs and high tables were not widely used until the 20th century. Since the 19th century, however, Japan has incorporated much of Western, modern, and post-modern architecture into construction and design, and is today a leader in cutting-edge architectural design and technology. The earliest Japanese architecture was seen in prehistoric times in simple pit-houses and stores adapted to the needs of a hunter-gatherer population. Influence from Han dynasty China via Korea saw the introduction of more complex grain stores and ceremonial burial chambers. The introduction of Buddhism in Japan during the sixth century was a c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Treasure (Japan)
Some of the National Treasures of Japan A is the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (a special body of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology). A Tangible Cultural Property is considered to be of historic or artistic value, classified either as "buildings and structures" or as "fine arts and crafts." Each National Treasure must show outstanding workmanship, a high value for world cultural history, or exceptional value for scholarship. Approximately 20% of the National Treasures are structures such as castles, Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, or residences. The other 80% are paintings; scrolls; sutras; works of calligraphy; sculptures of wood, bronze, lacquer or stone; crafts such as pottery and lacquerware carvings; metalworks; swords and textiles; and archaeological and historical artifacts. The items span the period of ancient to early modern Japan before ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kinkaku-ji
, officially named , is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. It is one of the most popular buildings in Kyoto, attracting many visitors annually.Bornoff, Nicholas (2000). ''The National Geographic Traveler: Japan''. National Geographic Society. . It is designated as a National Special Historic Site, a National Special Landscape and is one of 17 locations making up the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto which are World Heritage Sites. History The site of Kinkaku-ji was originally a villa called ''Kitayama-dai'' (北山第), belonging to a powerful statesman, Saionji Kintsune. Kinkaku-ji's history dates to 1397, when the villa was purchased from the Saionji family by ''shōgun'' Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and transformed into the Kinkaku-ji complex. When Yoshimitsu died the building was converted into a Zen temple by his son, according to his wishes.Scott, David (1996). ''Exploring Japan''. Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc. . During the Ōnin war (1467–1477), all of the buildi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Katsura Imperial Villa
The , or Katsura Detached Palace, is an Imperial residence with associated gardens and outbuildings in the western suburbs of Kyoto, Japan. Located on the western bank of the Katsura River in Katsura, Nishikyō-ku, the Villa is 8km distant from the main Kyoto Imperial Palace. The villa and gardens are nationally recognized as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The grounds of the villa are regarded as a notable exemplar of traditional Japanese gardening. Tea ceremony houses within the strolling gardens and the main villa itself are all sited to maximize appreciation of varied foliage and changing seasonal vistas. The palace originally belonged to the prince of the '' Hachijō-no-miya'' (八条宮) family. The Imperial Household Agency currently administers the site. Although the Imperial Villa itself is not open to visitors, public tours of the gardens are available by appointment. History The Katsura district of Kyoto has long been favored for villas, and in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japanese Cypress
''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or hinoki; ja, 檜 or , ) is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate northern hemisphere for its high-quality timber and ornamental qualities, with many cultivars commercially available. Description It is a slow-growing tree which may reach tall with a trunk up to in diameter. The bark is dark red-brown. The leaves are scale-like, long, blunt tipped (obtuse), green above, and green below with a white stomatal band at the base of each scale-leaf. The cones are globose, in diameter, with 8–12 scales arranged in opposite pairs. Related species The plant is widespread in Japan. The related ''Chamaecyparis pisifera'' (sawara cypress) can be readily distinguished in its having pointed tips to the leaves and smaller cones. A similar cypress found on Taiwan is treated by different botanists as either a variety of this species (as ''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' var. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Enkaku-ji
, or Engaku-ji (円覚寺), is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan and is ranked second among Kamakura's Five Mountains. It is situated in the city of Kamakura, in Kanagawa Prefecture to the south of Tokyo. Founded in 1282 (Kamakura period, the temple maintains the classical Japanese Zen monastic design, and both the Shariden and the are designated National Treasures. Engaku-ji is one of the twenty-two historic sites included in Kamakura's proposal for inclusion in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. It is located in Kita-Kamakura, very close to Kita-Kamakura Station on the Yokosuka Line, and indeed the railway tracks cut across the formal entrance to the temple compound, which is by a path beside a pond which is crossed by a small bridge. History The temple was founded in 1282 by a Chinese Zen monk Mugaku Sōgen (1226-1286) at the request of the then ruler of Japan, the regent Hōjō Tokimune after he had repelled a Mongolian invasion ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zenshūyō
is a Japanese Buddhist architectural style derived from Chinese Song Dynasty architecture. Named after the Zen sect of Buddhism which brought it to Japan, it emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century. Together with Wayō and Daibutsuyō, it is one of the three most significant styles developed by Japanese Buddhism on the basis of Chinese models. Until World War II, this style was called but, like the Daibutsuyō style, it was re-christened by Ōta Hirotarō, a 20th-century scholar. Its most typical features are a more or less linear layout of the garan, paneled doors hanging from hinges, intercolumnar '' tokyō'', cusped windows, tail rafters, ornaments called ''kibana'', and decorative pent roofs. Kōzan-ji's ''butsuden'' in Shimonoseki, Zenpuku-in's '' shaka-dō'' in Kainan, Wakayama and Anraku-ji's pagoda in Ueda, Nagano, all dating to the Kamakura period, are considered the three most important Zenshūyō buildings. Kōzan-ji's ''butsuden'' (built in 1320) is the ol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 more floors than there really are. It is usually a '' ken'' deep and is most commonly seen in Buddhist temples and pagodas (see for example the article '' tahōtō''). The ''mokoshi'' normally covers a '' hisashi'', a walled aisle surrounding a building on one or more sides, but can be attached directly to the core of the structure (the '' moya''), in which case there is no ''hisashi''. The roofing material for the ''mokoshi'' can be the same or different (see for example's Hōryū-ji's ''kon-dō'') as in the main roof. Origin and purpose The name derives from the fact that it surrounds and hides the main building like the of a pair of pants.Shogakukan'Nihon Daihyakkasho, ''Mokoshi'' accessed on November 27, 2009 (in Japanese) Its purpo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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