Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area, Japan

in Ancient Cities Wonders of the Modern World by admin — February 19, 2011 at 9:08 am | 0 comments

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There are around 48 Buddhist ancient monuments in the Horyu-ji area, in Nara Prefecture. Several date from the late 7th or early 8th century, making them some of the oldest surviving wooden structures in the world. These masterpieces of wooden structures are important not only for the history of art, since they illustrate the adaptation of Chinese Buddhist architecture and layout to Japanese lifestyle, but also for the historical past of religion, since their building coincided with the launch of Buddhism to Japan from China by way of the Korean peninsula.

The Buddhist monuments in the Horyu-ji area are the earliest Buddhist monuments in Japan, dating from shortly after the introduction of Buddhism to the nation, and had a profound influence on subsequent religious architecture. They signify the adaptation of Chinese Buddhist architecture and temple layout to Japanese culture and the following improvement of a distinct indigenous design.

Buddhism entered Japan from China via Korea in the mid-6th century AD. In the 7th century the pious Prince Regent Shotoku founded the religious centres of Horyu-ji and Chugu-ji. A disastrous fire destroyed the original Horyu-ji buildings in 670, but architectural remains survive below ground in the precinct known as Wakakusa Garan to the south-east of the later West Temple (Sai-in). Rebuilding began almost instantly and continued into the early years of the eighth century.

The West Temple was finished first, followed by the East Temple (To-in) on the site of Shotoku’s Ikaruga Palace. The great temple complicated attracted a number of monasteries (Shi-in); these began as towns of Buddhist priests grouped around lecture halls, but in the eleventh century they were gradually prolonged by the construction of temples, built by the priests and their disciples.

From its basis Horyu-ji was considered to be the temple that guarded the empire, and so it always enjoyed the protection of the imperial family. In addition, the cult of Prince Shotoku, which began in the 12th century, drawn many pilgrims, and as a result Horyu-ji was always immaculately maintained and preserved.

Hokki-ji was almost completely destroyed at the end of the sixteenth century during political disruptions and only the three-storey pagoda remains from the unique construction. With the Meiji repair of 1868, which was supported.

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by a more prominent role for Shintoism, Horyu-ji fell into a decline. However, the groundbreaking Law for the Preservation of Ancient Shrines and Temples (1897) resulted in it becoming the subject of a major restoration effort, and it has retained its primacy in Japanese conservation policies and programs since that time.

The plan of Horyu-ji is designed on the Chinese style of building in the Six Dynasties Period (Bai-wei: 222-589), with a relatively asymmetrical agreement of the buildings. The structures are based on the Chinese bay system, a modified version of post-and-lintel construction with intricate bracketing designed to transfer the weight of the heavy tiled roof down to the massive wooden helping columns. They are especially significant for the skilful use of entasis on the columns and their cloud-shaped supports.

The World Heritage site covers 48 buildings in total – twenty one in Horyu-ji East Temple, nine in Horyu-ji West Temple, 17 monasteries and other buildings, and the Hokki-ji pagoda. Of these, 28 were built before or during the 8th century – the Kondo (main half), Gojunoto (five-storey pagoda), Chumon (inner gate), and Kairo (roofed corridor) of Horyu-ji West Temple and the Sanjunoto (three-storey pagoda) of Hokki-ji. These may justifiably be claimed to be the oldest surviving wooden structures in the world.

The four old structures in the Horyu-ji West Temple (Sai-in) all date from 680-710. They are surrounded by ancillary buildings such as priests’ living quarters, refectories, gates, etc. Fifteen buildings in the complex are designated National Treasures and 6 are Important Cultural Properties. Two of the buildings in the Horyu-ji East Temple (To-in) date from the first half of the 8th century – the Yumedono (main hall), an exceptional octagonal building, and the Denpodo (lecture hall). Another important structure, rebuilt in the 13th century, is the Raido (worship hall), which houses ashes of the Buddha. Three buildings in this group are National Treasures and six are essential cultural properties. Of the Horyu-ji monasteries (Shi-in), most of which date to the 13th-17th centuries, 14 are specified as Important Cultural Properties. The Hokki-ji Sanjunoto, the conclusion of which is dated to 705 by an inscription, is specified as a National Treasure.