BUDDHIST TEMPLES IN JAPAN
BUDDHIST TEMPLES IN JAPAN
Buddhist temples or monasteries are (along with Shinto shrines) the most numerous, famous, and important religious buildings in Japan. The shogunates or leaders of Japan have made it a priority to update and rebuild Buddhist temples since the Momoyama period (late 16th century). The Japanese word for a Buddhist monastery is tera (寺) (kun reading), and the same kanji also has the pronunciation ji (on reading), so temple names frequently end in -dera or -ji. Another ending, -in (院), is normally used to refer to minor temples. Examples of temple names that have these suffixes are Kiyomizu-dera, Enryaku-ji and Kōtoku-in.
Etymology
The Japanese word for a Buddhist temple, tera (寺), was anciently also written phonetically 天良, tera, and is cognate with the Modern Korean Chǒl from Middle Korean Tiel, the Jurchen Taira and the reconstructed Old Chinese *dɘiaʁ, all meaning "Buddhist monastery". These words are apparently derived from the Aramaic word for "Monastery" dērā/ dairā/ dēr (from the root dwr "to live together"), rather than from the unrelated and later Indian word for monastery vihara, and may have been transmitted by the first Central Asian translators of Buddhist scriptures, such as An Shigao or Lokaksema.
Buddhist and Shinto structures
In Japan, Buddhist temples co-exist with Shinto shrines and both share the basic features of Japanese traditional architecture. Both torii and rōmon mark the entrance to a shrine, as well as to temples, although torii is associated with Shinto and rōmon with Buddhism. Some shrines, for example Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū, have a Buddhist-style main gate called sōmon. Many temples have a temizuya and komainu, like a shrine. Conversely, some shrines make use of incense or have a shōrō belltower. Others – for example, Tanzan Shrine in Nara – even have a pagoda.
HISTORY
The architecture of Buddhist temples, as that of any structure, has changed and developed over the centuries. However, while the particular details may vary, the general themes and styles have strong similarities and common origins.
The already mentioned Hōryū-ji was one of the first Buddhist temples built in Japan. Its primary structures represent the style current in 6th century CE Sui dynasty China. The Kondō (Golden Hall) is a double-roofed structure, supported by thick, strong pillars, and giving a feeling of boldness and weight.
A style developed in art and architecture in Japan during the Heian period by the esoteric sects Tendai and Shingon on the basis of contemporary Chinese architecture. So called to distinguish it from imported Chinese styles, in architecture it was characterized by simplicity, refraining from ornamentation, use of natural timber and in general plain materials.
A Japanese religious architectural style that emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century on the basis of contemporary Chinese architecture.
Introduced by priest Chōgen, this grandiose and monumental style was based on Song Dynasty architecture and was the antithesis of the simple and traditional wayō style. The Nandaimon at Tōdai-ji and the Amida Hall at Jōdo-ji are the only extant examples of this style.
A style that takes its name from its creators, the Buddhist Zen sect, and which emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century on the basis of contemporary Chinese architecture. The zenshūyō was originally called karayō (唐様, Chinese style) but, like the Daibutsu style, was renamed by Ōta Hirotarō, a 20th-century scholar. Its characteristics are earthen floors, decorative curved pent roofs (mokoshi) and pronouncedly curved main roofs, cusped windows (katōmado) and paneled doors.
An architectural style born in Japan during the Muromachi period from the fusion of elements from three preceding styles, the wayō, the daibutsuyō and zen'yō. It is exemplified by the main hall at Kakurin-ji. The combination of wayō and daibutsuyō in particular became so frequent that sometimes it is classed separately by scholars under the name Shin-wayō (新和様, new wayō).
Wayō Daibutsuyō Zenshūyō SetchūyōARCHITECTURE
Buddhist architecture in Japan is not native, but imported from China and other Asian cultures over the centuries with such constancy that the building styles of all Six Dynasties are represented. Its history is, as a consequence, dominated by Chinese and other Asian techniques and styles (present even in Ise Shrine, held to be the quintessence of Japanese architecture) on one side, and by Japanese original variations on those themes on the other.
The roof is the most visually impressive component, often constituting half the size of the whole edifice. The slightly curved eaves extend far beyond the walls, covering verandas, and their weight must therefore be supported by complex bracket systems called tokyō. These oversize eaves give the interior a characteristic dimness, which contributes to the temple's atmosphere.
Inner space divisions are fluid, and room size can be modified through the use of screens or movable paper walls. The large, single space offered by the main hall can therefore be altered according to the need. Structures are therefore made to a certain extent part of their environment. The use of construction modules keeps proportions between different parts of the edifice constant, preserving its overall harmony.
Being shared by both sacred and profane architecture, these architectonic features made it easy converting a lay building into a temple. This happened for example at Hōryū-ji, where a noblewoman's mansion was transformed into a religious building.
Buddhist architecture of the Heian Period consisted of the re-emergence of national tastes. The temple Hojoji represents paradise and the pure land, which embodies elements of Pure Land Buddhism. The last formal temple was Motsuji.
The roof Inner space profane architectureEXAMPLE TEMPLE FEATURES
A Zen temple's main hall. Seems to have two stories, but has in fact only one and measures either 3×3 or 5×5 bays.
generic term for a gate with an arched roof.
a long and roofed portico-like passage connecting two buildings.
lit. dry landscape. A Japanese rock garden, often present in Zen temples, and sometimes found in temples of other sects too.
originally a study and a place for lectures on the sutra within a temple, later the term came to mean just a study.
the approach leading from a torii to a shrine. The term is also used sometimes at Buddhist temples too.
Butsuden kairō karamon karesansui sandō shoin