Daian-ji

Coordinates: 34°40′05″N 135°48′46″E / 34.668°N 135.812722°E / 34.668; 135.812722

Daian-ji Hondō
South gate

Daian-ji (大安寺) was founded during the Asuka period and is one of the Seven Great Temples of Nara, Japan.

History

The Nihon Shoki records the founding of the Kudara Dai-ji (百済大寺), predecessor of the Daian-ji, in 639 during the reign of Emperor Jomei. A nine story pagoda was added shortly afterwards.[1] Moved during the reign of Emperor Temmu, excavations have uncovered the foundations of the site of the Daikandai-ji (大官大寺), as it was then known, seven hundred metres to the south of Mount Kagu.[2] Like the Yakushi-ji, and Gangō-ji, the temple relocated to the new capital of Heijō-kyō in 716/7, and it was rebuilt as the Daian-ji in 729.[3] Its importance declined when the capital moved again to Kyoto at the end of the Nara period. A succession of fires, a typhoon in 1459 and earthquakes in 1585 and 1596 destroyed most of the temple.[4] The stone bases of the former twin pagodas were removed for reuse at Kashihara Jingū in 1889,[5] while the ruins of the other buildings lie in adjacent properties.[3]

Treasures

The temple houses nine statues in a style known as Daianji-yoshiki, but the acclaimed statue of Sakyamuni, said by the twelfth-century Oe no Chikamichi in Shichidaiji Junrei Shiki to have been the finest work in Nara, is now lost.[3][6] The following Nara period statues have been designated Important Cultural Properties: a Jūichimen Kannon,[7] Senjū Kannon,[8] Fukūkensaku Kannon,[9] Yōryū Kannon,[10] Shō Kannon,[11] and a set of Four Heavenly Kings.[12] Temple records of the Tenpyō era (747) have also been designated an Important Cultural Property and are now held in Chiba Prefecture.[13]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Daianji (Nara).

References

  1. McCallum, Donald F. (2009). The Four Great Temples (vid. pp. 90, 83-153). University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3114-1.
  2. "Temple". Daian-ji. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Ooka, Minoru (1973). Temples of Nara and their Art (vid. pp. 33 f.). Weatherhill. ISBN 0-8348-1010-7.
  4. "History". Daian-ji. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  5. Kidder, J. Edward (1972). Early Buddhist Japan (vid. p. 114). Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0-500-02078-7.
  6. "Daianji Temple". Nara Prefecture. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  7. "Database of Registered National Cultural Properties". Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  8. "Database of Registered National Cultural Properties". Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  9. "Database of Registered National Cultural Properties". Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  10. "Database of Registered National Cultural Properties". Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  11. "Database of Registered National Cultural Properties". Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  12. "Database of Registered National Cultural Properties". Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  13. "Database of Registered National Cultural Properties". Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, April 20, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.