Shōsōin
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Shōsōin (正倉院) is the treasure house that belongs to Tōdai-ji, Nara[1][2]
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[edit] Brief history
The origin of Tōdai-ji Shōsoin dates back to 756, when Empress Kōmyō has dedicated over 600 items to the Great Buddha at Tōdai-ji, in expressing her love for her lost husband, Emperor Shōmu. Her donation was made over 5 times across several years, then stored at Shōsōin. Later in Heian Period, a large number of treasures, consisting of items and instruments used in important Buddhism services were tranferred from a diffrent warehouse in Tōdai-ji. Given the importance of the items stored in this warehouse, the administration of Shōsōin has been taken over by the government, currently the Imperial Household Agency.
[edit] The building
The building is in the azekura (校倉) log-cabin style, with a raised floor (高床式). Shōsōin is the oldest surviving building of this type in Japan.
[edit] The treasures
Shōsōin today holds around 9000 items, leaving out items that are yet to be classified. While many of the collection are of remainders from the 8th century and are of domestic production, either art or documents, there are also variety of items originating from, needless to say China (Tang at the time), but even from as far as India, Iran, Greece, Rome and Egypt.
Although these collections are not open to the public, selections are shown at Nara National Museum once a year in autumn.
[edit] See also
The Kamakura National Treasure House also holds a fine collection of Japanese art and sculpture.
[edit] Notes
- ^ 正倉院ホームページ (Shōsōin Homepage, Imperial Household Agency (Japan)) (Japanese). Retrieved on March 12, 2007.
- ^ "Shōsōin" originally stood for the warehouse area that many of the Buddhist temples and govenmental sites in the ages of Nara period and Heian period were known to have, and "Shōsō"(正倉) was meaning each independet building located in the such area. However, all but the one in Tōdai-ji were lost over time, thus Shōsōin became a proper noun for the only remaining treasure house building at Tōdai-ji.
[edit] External links
- Japanese the Imperial Household Agency [1]
