The

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area includes a variety of buildings found in

Hōryū-ji is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in Ikaruga, Nara, Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Built shortly after Buddhism was introduced to Japan, it is also one of the oldest Buddh ...

and

Hokki-ji – formerly known as and – is a Buddhist temple temple in the Okamoto neighborhood of the town of Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The temple's honorary '' sangō'' prefix is , although it is rarely used. The temple was constructed to ho ...

in Ikaruga,

Nara Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. These buildings were designated in 1993 along with the surrounding landscape, under several criteria. The structures inscribed are some of the oldest extant wooden buildings in the world, dating from the 7th to 8th centuries. Many of the monuments are also

National Treasures of Japan Some of the National Treasures of Japan A is " Tangible Cultural Properties designated by law in modern Japan as having extremely high value." Specifically, it refers to buildings, arts, and crafts designated as especially valuable from ...

, and reflect an important age of

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

influence in Japan. The structures include 21 buildings in the Hōryū-ji East Temple, 9 in the West Temple, 17

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

and other buildings, and the pagoda in Hokki-ji.

Horyuji Kondo

The kondo, also known as the Golden Hall is located within the gates of the Horyuji temple complex. The structure sits near the center next to the Horyuji Pagoda. The two structures are significant, yet for very different reasons. The Kondo was built with the intention of being used for Buddhist worship. On the outside, the Kondo appears to the viewer as a two story structure. However, only the first floor is operative (Mizuno, 92). The roof of the Kondo displays the hip and gable style that is frequently seen in East Asian architecture (Cartwright, Ancient History Encyclopedia). The exterior of the wooden structure has also been decorated with images of dragons and the water deity (Cartwright, Ancient History Encyclopedia). Upon entering the building, the viewer is faced with a magnificent sight: The Shaka Triad and the Yakushi sculptures.

The Shaka Triad

The Shaka Triad is located within the Horyuji Kondo building. The sculpture has been placed on a raised platform so that when the viewer enters the building, they will have to look up in order to observe the piece. Shaka sits between his two attendants in the mediation position. The skirt that Shaka wears falls over his legs and the platform that he sits on in a style known as waterfall drapery. His hands are positioned in two different

mudra A mudra (; , , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. As well as being spiritual ges ...

s. The right hand is positioned in the reassurance mudra and the left hand is in that of the wish granting mudra. Behind the Shaka is an intricately decorated mandorla with a lotus flower directly in the center. Right above the head of shaka is a raised circle that is meant to stand as a representation of the Buddhist jewel of wisdom. On the outer parts of the mandorla are seven small Buddha figures. These figures are intended to represent the seven Buddhas that came before Shaka. The two attendants have been placed on lotus flowers. Each figure holds a jewel in their hand. Horyuji-L0330

Horyuji Pagoda

Next to the Horyuji kondo stands the Horyuji Pagoda. The Kondo functions as a space for Buddhist worship, but the pagoda serves an entirely different purpose. The five storied structure stands at Horyuji as a sort of reliquary or memorial site. The structure was also built to represent a diagram of the universe. If you stop and look at the building, you will notice that the roofs on each story get smaller and smaller the closer they get to the top. The center post of the pagoda is built into a stone foundation that actually holds buddhist treasures and relics inside. These relics were put inside of vessels made out of glass, gold, and silver.

The Tamamushi Shrine

The Tamamushi Shrine is located within the Treasure House at Horyuji. The shrine is made up of a small Kondo that has been placed on top of a rectangular base. Similar to that of the Horyuji Kondo, the miniature kondo on the shrine has a hip and gabled roof and exhibits many architectural features of the

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710, although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato period, Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after the ...

. The shrine has been elaborately decorated with many extensive details. Inside of the shrine is a small statue of Kannon, a buddhist Bodhisattva. The interior walls have also been lined with many small Buddha figures. On the front of the rectangular base are images of the four guardian kings and on the side panels are images of bodhisattvas standing on lotus flowers. The back panel shows Mount Ryoju, the location in which Shaka preached the Lotus Sutra. On the upper pedestal of the shrine, the front has paintings that depict representations of Buddhist relics. The back of the pedestal has an image of location that is known to be the center of the universe. This location holds the heavens, the oceans and the earth apart from each other. This place is known as Mount Sumeru. The right panel shows a picture of the Buddha in a previous life and the left panel shows the scene of "The Hungry Tigress Jataka."

The Hungry Tigress Jataka

The Hungry Tigress Jataka is a tale in the theme of self sacrifice. In this story, the Bodhisattva is walking through the forest when he encounters a tigress and her starving cubs. In order to save the lives of the starving animals, the bodhisattva hikes to the top of mountain located nearby and jumps off. The smell of the blood coming from the Bodhisattva's body is enough to rouse the weak tigress and her starving cubs so that they may eat.

List of sites

Gallery

File:Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area-122507.jpg, Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area File:Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area-122502.jpg, Buddhist monuments in the Horyu-ji Area File:Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area-122508.jpg, detail of wood carving

References

External links

''Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area'' at UNESCO
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area Buddhist temples in Nara Prefecture World Heritage Sites in Japan Hōryū-ji fr:Monuments bouddhistes de la région de Hōryū-ji