Horyuji -Nara district Source: www.koitsu.com  Name: Horyuji, which means "Temple of the Flourishing Law" Geographical situation: In Ikaruga, a middle-sized town near the ancient imperial capital Nara (about 12 km). Both are situated in the Nara Prefecture, located SE on Honshu Island (the main island of Japan) What's this?: It's a Buddhist Temple. In fact, the construction of the Horyuji is closely linked to the introduction of Buddhism in Japan. Indeed, it is often said that it was Prince Shotoku who introduced it at the turn of the 7th century AD, and it was he who ordered the construction of the Horyuji, but the first assumption is not exact. Let's turn then our attention first to the introduction of Buddhism in Japan, which is a turning point in the religious beliefs in the archipelago. A little bit of history: 6th century,Yamato period. The Emperor is still in place, but the real power is in the hands of a clan called Soga. It is a time when Japan is on friendly terms with with the Kingdom of Paikche (Korea). Thanks to that relation, the influence of the continent grew and among them is the introduction of Buddhism, that is dated back to either 538 or 552 (at least 20 years before the birth of Prince Shotoku). At the time, although the religion quickly gains in popularity among the nobles, the rest of the Japanese were at first reluctant due to the complexity of its theories. Moreover, at first, there were conflicts with the main "religion", Shintoism (which is not , in fact, really a religion, but more, especially in those early times, a collection of shamanistic and animistic beliefs and traditions, which could highly differ from one region to the other); but before long the two cohabitated peacefully, as they actually have much in common. Prince Shotoku (574-622) was among the rulers who advocated strongly for the newly arrived religion. Not only his father, Emperor Yômei, was considered as the founder of Japanese Buddhism, but his teachers where actually from Korea, and he was well versed into Chinese literature and art, having understand the importance that Chinese culture would have over the development of Japan. He became regent of the first reigning Emperess, the Emperess Suiko, who herself became a Buddhist nun and withdraw from the affairs of the court. It was Shotoku who built the Shitennoji ( in 593 AD, near Osaka) and supported the construction of the Horyuji, both Buddhist temples. His role in the spreading of Buddhism is particularly important since his view on it was very different to that of other nobles. In the early years, the form of Buddhism that was developed in Japan was one of 'religion of state', supported by the Soga clan, and which had little to do with Buddhism at its origins. Shotoku was more interested in understanding the real meaning and essence, and wrote comments on orthodox texts. Image ©takihara at Flickr The Buildings: So it was to fullfil his father's wish that Prince Shotoku ordered the construction of the Hôryûji in 607. But this construction was certainly quite different from the one we know today: it is said in the 'Nihonshoki', one of the chronicles on Early Japan, that this first version of the Hôryûji burnt in 670. Structural remains can still be found underground where it originally lay, East of the Great South Gate, in the Wakakusa-garan precinct (which was the name of the original temple). Soon after its destruction, it was built anew in the Western Precinct and the first temple was completed in 711. More structures will follow, notably the Dream Hall (Yumedono) in 739, by Gyoshin, at the very place where Shotoku Family's Ikaruga Palace used to stand, which had been destroyed by the Soga clan in 643. Those two magnificent temples attracted Buddhist monks who started monasteries around them. By the 11th century, more temples were erected, and a few years later began the cult of Prince Shotoku, which only added to the prestige and the power of attraction of the place; pilgrims came numerous for centuries, until it started to decline at the beginning of the Meiji era, as Shintoism was given a greater role again. Over the years, several buildings had been destroyed, either by accident or during difficult political times, but some original structures from the 8th century have survived, notably the Yumedono and the Hokkiji Sanjunoto (three-storey pagoda). The great care that the Buddhist monks have bestowed on it all this time certainly account for it. Moreover, despite the decline of its religious and symbolic role (for long, the Hôryûji was considered as the temple that guarded the Empire), from 1897, it remained at the center of the conservation programms of the Japanese Governement. Today, what appears to the eyes of the visitors is a complex of 48 buildings, following the Chinese plan that was common during the Six Dynasties Period (222-589), and among which 28 date from the 7th-8th centuries (to have a look at a map and more picture, go there. Because of its age, its overall design and the great attention to details, and because of the fact it is one of the oldest wooden buildings standing in the world (some say it is the oldest), it has made its way to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage List. <-prev | home | next->   Sources: articles on Horyuji, Prince Shotoku and Ikaruga@Wikipedia Articles on Buddhism and Horyuji@Japan Guide Prince Shotoku The introduction of Buddhism to Japan Hôryûji History Hôryûji Nomination 660 of Buddhist monuments in the Hôryûji area (pdf document)