290px, Model of Gangō-ji in the Nara period; the temple at the top of the photo is ">Kofuku-ji
290px, Site of the Five-story Pagoda
was one of the first
Buddhist temples in Japan
Buddhist temples or monasteries are (along with Shinto shrines) the most numerous, famous, and important religious buildings in Japan.The term "Shinto shrine" is used in contrast to "Buddhist temple" to mirror the distinction made in Japanese bet ...
, and was ranked as one of the powerful
Seven Great Temples, in
Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
,
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 ...
. It was mostly destroyed in the
Muromachi period
The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...
and the
old town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
of Naramachi occupies most of what was once the temple's precincts. Three small portions of the temple have survived to the present day, and each is now a separate temple.
History
With the relocation of the capital to
Heijō-kyō
was the Capital of Japan during most of the Nara period, from 710 to 740 and again from 745 to 784. The imperial palace is a listed UNESCO World Heritage together with other places in the city of Nara (cf. Historic Monuments of Ancient ...
in 710, the temples of
Yakushi-ji, Umayasaka-ji (later
Kofuku-ji), Daikandai-ji (later
Daian-ji
is a Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temple located in the city of Nara, Nara , Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It was founded by Emperor Jomei in 639 as one of the first official temples in Japan at the capital of Asuka-kyō and was subseq ...
), and other temples in
Asua were moved to the new capital. Hōkō-ji (
Asuka-dera) was also moved to Heijō-kyō in 718, but the original Hōkō-ji in Asuka was not abolished and remained in its original location. The temple in Asuka retained the name "Hōkō-ji" or "Hon-Gankō-ji," while the temple in Heijō-kyō was named "Gangō-ji (or Shin-Gankō-ji)." During the Nara period, Gangō-ji was a major establishment, similar in size to
Tōdai-ji
is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admir ...
, and was the main seminary for both the
Sanron and the
Hosso sects. The temple complex was a complete ''
Shichidō garan
''Shichidō garan'' is a Buddhism in Japan, Japanese Buddhist term indicating the seven Dō (architecture), halls composing the ideal Buddhist temple compound. This compound word is composed of , literally meaning "seven halls", and , meaning " ...
'' with a Great South Gate, Central Gate,
Main Hall, Lecture Hall,
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...
, and
Dining Hall, all lined up in a straight line from north to south. A
corridor stretched from the left and right sides of the Central Gate, surrounding the Main Hall and reaching the left and right sides of the Lecture Hall. Outside the corridor, to the east was Eastern Pagoda Compound, which was centered around a
five-story pagoda, and to the west was the Small Pagoda Compound. In addition, there were several buildings where monks lived on each side behind the Lecture Hall. These were long tenement-like buildings running east to west, and the monks' quarters on the east side were remodeled during the
Kamakura period
The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
to become the new Main Hall and Zen room of Gokurakubō.
The temple grounds were long and narrow, stretching from north to south for four ''
chō'' (approximately 440 meters) and east to west for 2 ''chō'' (approximately 220 meters). The area south of Sarusawa-ike Pond, south of
Kofuku-ji, and today commonly known as "Naramachi" (Nara Town), was originally the grounds of Gangō-ji.
After the capital was relocated to
Heian-kyō
Heian-kyō was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the official capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180.
Emperor Kanmu established it as the capital in 794, mo ...
, Gangō-ji gradually fell into decline. Newer Buddhist sects, such as
Tendai
, also known as the Tendai Dharma Flower School (天台法華宗, ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just ''Hokkeshū''), is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition with significant esoteric elements that was officially established in Japan in 806 by t ...
and
Shingon
is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō- ...
, had supplanted Sanron and Hosso, and with the collapse of the
Ritsuryō
is the historical Japanese legal system, legal system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Legalism (Chinese philosophy), Chinese Legalism in Feudal Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (). ''Kya ...
system in the mid-
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 Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...
(10th to 11th centuries), the temple lost control of the estates on which it depended for support. Historical records from this period, such as the "Dosha Sonshiki Kenrokucho" (Record of the Reconstruction of Temples and Buildings) from 1035, state that many of the buildings, including the main hall, were in ruins, and that the head priest of the temple had been reduced to selling the temple's treasures in order to maintain the temple. According to a record from 1246, the fourth and fifth stories of the five-story pagoda and its spire had been lost by this time, and the Great South Gate and bell tower had been severely damaged. In 1451, during the
Muromachi period
The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...
, a peasant uprising set the Small Pagoda Compound on fire, and the flames spread to the entire temple. The five-story pagoda survived, but other main buildings such as the Main Hall were destroyed. Although the Main Hall was rebuilt, it was destroyed again by a strong wind 1472, and was never rebuilt again. After this, houses were built on the ruins, and by the end of the Muromachi period, the temple had split into three separate temples, each centered on one of the remaining components of the original temple.
Gangō-ji Gokuraku-in (Gokurakubō)
The is the
Shingon-Ritsu sect successor to Gangō-ji. It is centered on the Gokuraku-dō (Mandala-dō), which enshrines the Chiko Mandala as its ''
honzon''. The Chiko Mandara is a
mandala
A mandala (, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid ...
depicting the
Pure Land
Pure Land is a Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhist concept referring to a transcendent realm emanated by a buddhahood, buddha or bodhisattva which has been purified by their activity and Other power, sustaining power. Pure lands are said to be places ...
with
Amida Nyorai in the center, drawn by the Nara period scholar-monk Chiko, which from the late Heian period began to attract worshippers with the popularity of the idea of the
end of the world and the rise of the Amida Pure Land faith. The hall in which the mandala was enshrined was called Gokuraku-in, and gradually developed into a sub-temple of Gangō-ji. It was remodeled in the Kamakura period from the monks' quarters where Chiko and other monks had lived during the Nara period.
This building, along with the "Zen room" are now designated
National Treasures and is collectively registered as a
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 ...
as part of the “
Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara
Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of eight places in the old capital Nara in Nara Prefecture, Japan. Five are Buddhist temples, one is a Shinto shrine, one is a Palace and one a primeval forest. The pr ...
“. The Gokuraku-in was renamed "Gangō-ji Gokurakubō" in 1955, and then "Gangō-ji" in 1977. The precincts of the Gokurakubō is one of the three parts of the ancient temple complex to be protected as a
National Historic Site in 1965.
Gangō-ji Pagoda Site
The are located in the Shiba Araya-chō neighborhood the "old town" area of Naramachi in the city of Nara. It also is one of the three parts of the ancient temple complex to be protected as a
National Historic Site in 1932.
The remains of the pagoda is now sandwiched between private houses. The pagoda's base is 17.7 meters on each side, 90-centimeters high, and surrounded by stone walls, with 17 foundation stones remaining. Based on the remaining foundation stones and sketches from the
Edo period
The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
, the pagoda was a five-story pagoda with a side length of about 10 meters, a central length of 3.8 meters between the three pillars of the first floor, and 3.19 meters between both sides. Based on jewels, copper coins, altar implements unearthed around the central stone during 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 ...
in 1927, it is estimated that the pagoda was constructed in the late 8th century, about 50 years after the capital was moved to Heijō-kyō. It is about a 10-minute walk from
Kintetsu Nara Station on the
Kintetsu Nara Line.
The Eastern Pagoda Compound became a
Kegon sect temple centered on the pagoda and a Kannon-do, which housed a famous statue of
Kannon Bosatsu formerly housed in the Central Gate. The pagoda was destroyed by a fire in 1859, and the temple fell into disrepair and was abandoned in the early
Meiji period
The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...
. Artifacts excavated from the earthen platform of the Gangō-ji pagoda site and a standing statue of
Yakushi Nyorai
Bhaiṣajyaguru (, zh, t= , , , , ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja ("Medicine Master and King of Lapis Lazuli Light"; zh, t=藥師琉璃光(王)如來, , , ), is the Buddha of healing and medicine i ...
(National Treasure) have been entrusted to the Nara National Museum.
Small Pagoda Complex
The was the third of the successor temples to Gangō-ji and was also designated a National Historic Site in 1965.
The Small Pagoda Compound was initially constructed by
Empress Shōtoku within the intent that it would house one million small wooden votive pagodas to pray for the souls of those who died in the Fujiwara no Nakamaro Rebellion. It. According to an article from 834 in the ''
Shoku Nihon Kōki'', it was located to the southwest of the main Gangō-ji temple complex, symmetrically positioned opposite the larger East Pagoda complex, and consisted of a small pagoda with a prayer hall to the south, three other buildings with a cypress bark roof, and a gate.
It from this location that the fire of October 1451 which destroyed the complete Gangō-ji complex originated. The current structure is a Shingon-Ritsu chapel to
Kokuzō Bosatsu built in 1707. A small wooden five-story pagoda from that time, about 5.5 meters high, is still in the possession of Gangō-ji Temple is designated as a National Treasure as it conveys the architectural style of five-story pagodas from the Nara period. Within the temple grounds, is a ''
hōkyōintō
A is a type of tō, Japanese pagoda, so called because it originally contained the sūtraIwanami Kōjien Japanese dictionary (or ).Iwanami Kōjien Japanese dictionary A Chinese variant of the Indian stupa, it was originally conceived as a ceno ...
'' stone pagoda from the late Kamakura period, which is a memorial tower for Gomei, a priest who was active between the Nara and Heian periods. Gomei was a member of the
Hata clan and perfected Hosso doctrine at Gangō-ji. He was appointed as a monk in 827 and passed away at Shoto-in in 834, so he is also known as Shōtō-in Sōmei.
In the ''Man'yōshū''
The ''
Man'yōshū
The is the oldest extant collection of Japanese (poetry in Classical Japanese), compiled sometime after AD 759 during the Nara period. The anthology is one of the most revered of Japan's poetic compilations. The compiler, or the last in ...
'' includes a poem attributed to a monk of Gango-ji. This poet laments that, having attained enlightenment, his greater understanding remains unnoticed by others in the streets of Nara. His poem may perhaps bemoan his undervalued condition—and yet, in a modest way, his words transport contemporary readers momentarily back to share his quiet, 8th century perspective:
:::A White gem unknown of men –
::: Be it so if no one knows!
:::Since I myself know its worth
:::Although no other –
:::Be it so if no one knows!
:::: – A monk of the Gango-ji Temple
[Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkokai. (1969). ''The Manyōshū,'' p. 237.]
See also
*
Asuka-dera
* ''
Gangōji Garan Engi'', a historical text of the temple
*
List of National Treasures of Japan (sculptures)
*
List of National Treasures of Japan (temples)
*
Nanto Shichi Daiji
Nanto Shichi Daiji (南都七大寺), literally "the seven great temples of the southern capital (meaning the city of Nara)", is a historical common name generally referring to the powerful and influential seven Buddhist temples located in the Na ...
, Seven Great Temples of Nanto.
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Nara)
Notes
External links
Gangoji Temple, from The Official Nara Travel Guide
* Gokuraku-bo
元興寺文化財研究所 (''Gangō-ji bunkazai kenkyūsho''), Pamphlet distributed on site for visitors
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gango-ji
Shingon Ritsu temples
World Heritage Sites in Japan
National Treasures of Japan
Buddhist temples in Nara, Nara
Historic Sites of Japan
6th-century establishments in Japan
Sanron-shū
593 establishments
590s establishments
6th-century religious buildings and structures
6th-century Buddhist temples