is a temple in Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, dating from the 16th century. Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...

 determined that the capital city should have a Daibutsu

Daibutsu

or 'giant Buddha' is the Japanese term, often used informally, for large statues of Buddha. The oldest is that at Asuka-dera and the best-known those of Tōdai-ji in Nara and Kōtoku-in in Kamakura , both National Treasures.- Examples :...

 temple to surpass that of Nara

Nara, Nara

is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...

. He is reputed to have claimed at the outset that he would complete construction in half the time it took Emperor Shōmu

Emperor Shomu

was the 45th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 723.-Traditional narrative:...

 to complete the Great Buddha of Nara. The project during Emperor Shomū's reign took ten years. Hideyoshi would complete the initial phase of his project in only three years. The architects for this project were Nakamura Masakiyo and Heinouchi Yoshimasa.

History

• Tenshō 14, in the 10th month (1586): With the approval of Emperor Go-Yōzei
  Emperor Go-Yozei
  was the 107th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Go-Yōzei's reign spanned the years from 1586 through 1611, corresponding to the transition between the Azuchi-Momoyama period and the Edo period....
  
  , Hideyoshi ordered land-surveys as he prepared to begin construction of a Daibutsu-ji in Heian-kyo
  Heian-kyo
  Heian-kyō , was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180....
  
  .
• Tenshō 16 (1588): Construction on the temple commenced, and the work moved forward in an area where the Kyoto National Museum
  Kyoto National Museum
  The is one of the three formerly imperially-mandated art museums in Japan. The museum is located in Higashiyama Ward in Kyoto. The collections of the Kyoto National Museum focus on pre-modern Japanese and Asian art....
  
   now stands. Constructed in Tensho 16 (1588), this stone structure once had a tiled-roofed and mud walls, with pillars marking the walls of the Daibutsu-den's central space. -- see example of the iron rings used to hold together and re-inforce columns in the great hall of the Daibutsu-den
• Tenshō 16 (1588):Hideyoshi's sword hunt edict required that all weapons must be reliquished by non-samurai—including long swords, short swords, bows, spears and firearms; and the edict explained that the metal was to be melted down into nails and clamps to be used in creating a grand statue of Buddha at Hōkō-ji, thus earning merit in this life and the next.
• Tenshō 17, in the 10th month (1589): The priest Kokei of Daitoku-ji
  Daitoku-ji
  is a Buddhist temple, one of fourteen autonomous branches of the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen. It is located in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The "mountain name" , who is known by the title Daitō Kokushi, or "National Teacher of the Great Lamp," that he was given by Emperor Go-Daigo...
  
   was nominated founder of the new temple; and Shōkōin-no-Miya Kōi Hōshinnō conducted the dedication ceremony with a thousand priests in attendance.

• Bunroku
  Bunroku
  was a after Tenshō and before Keichō. This period spanned the years from December 1592 to October 1596. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* 1592 : The era name was changed...
  
   4 (1595): Hideyoshi summons a thousand priests from 8 Buddhist sects to mass service at Hōkō-ji in honor of his ancestors.-- Nichiren sect priests decline to participate
• Bunroku 5 (August 14, 1596): An earthquake destroyed both the image of the buddha and the completed Daibutsu-den.

• Keichō
  Keicho
  was a after Bunroku and before Genna. This period spanned from October 1596 to July 1615. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:* 1596 : The era name was changed to Keichō to mark the passing of various natural disasters...
  
   3 (September 17, 1598): Work was begun to replace the temporary structure which was built after the Bunroku earthquake, and the borrowed statue of Buddha was returned to Zenkō-ji
  Zenko-ji (Gifu)
  is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect in Mino Province . It is a branch temple of Daigo-ji in Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is also referred to as Gifu Zenkō-ji and Inaba Zenkō-ji...
  
   as work began on reconstructing a new large statue of the buddha as well; but this work was halted the following month when Hideyoshi died at the age of 63 on the 18th day of the 8th month of Keichō 3.
• Keichō 7 (January 15, 1602): A fire at the Hōkō-ji temple complex in Kyoto was caused by careless workmen; and the great image of the buddha and the structure housing the statue, the Daibutsu-den, were both consumed by the flames.

• Keichō 15 (November 15, 1610): Toyotomi Hideyori
  Toyotomi Hideyori
  was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first united all of Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga....
  
   decided to sponsor work which is begun to rebuild the Hōkō-ji in line with the plans which his father had supported; and this will include recreating the great statue of the buddha in bronze to replace the wooden image which had been burned. At this time, Hideyori also decides to order a great bell cast in bronze.
• Keichō 19 (August 24, 1614): A new bronze bell for the Hōkō-ji was cast successfully; -- see 19th century photo of Hōkō-ji bell-- see old photo of bell and dedication ceremonies were scheduled, but at the last minute, Ieyasu forbade the ceremonies to take place.

"[T]he tablet over the Daibatsu-den and the bell bore the inscription "Kokka ankō" (meaning "the country and the house, peace and tranquility"), and at this Tokugawa Ieyasu affected to take umbrage, alleging that it was intended as a curse on him for the character 安 (an, "peace") was placed between the two characters composing his own name 家康 ("ka-kō", "house tranquility") [suggesting subtly perhaps that peace could only be attained by Ieyasu's dismemberment?] ... This incident of the inscription was, of course, a mere pretext, but Ieyasu realized that he could not enjoy the power he had usurped as long as Hideyori lived, and consequently, although the latter more than once dispatched his kerei Katagiri Kastumoto to Sunpu Castle

Sunpu Castle

was a Japanese castle in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. The sobriquet of this feudal fortress was the "Castle of the Floating Isle." It was also referred to as or .-History:...

 with profuse apologies, Ieyasu refused to be placated."

• Kanbun
  Kanbun
  The Japanese word originally meant "Classical Chinese writings, Chinese classic texts, Classical Chinese literature". This evolved into a Japanese method of reading annotated Classical Chinese in translation . Much Japanese literature was written in literary Chinese using this annotated style...
  
   2 (June 16, 1662): An earthquake destroys the temple, the great statue, and the Daibutsu-den; and some accounts say that Shogun Ietsuna
  Tokugawa Ietsuna
  was the fourth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan who was in office from 1651 to 1680. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, thus making him the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.-Early Life :...
  
   used the metal to coin sen.
• Kanbun 4-7 (1664–1667): Rebuilding and repairs were made; and a gilt wooden statue replaced the bronze statue which had been destroyed. A drawing made by Engelbert Kaempfer after his 1691 visit to Hōkō-ji was the first image of any Japanese Daibutsu image published in the West.

• An'ei 4 (September 5, 1775): Lightning struck the Hōkō-ji, but the fires were quickly contained and the damage was slight.

• Kansei
  Kansei
  was a after Tenmei and before Kyōwa. This period spanned the years from January 1789 through February 1801. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
  
   10 (August 12, 1798): Lightning struck, and the Daibutsu-den is entirely burnt along with other nearby structures; but instead of rebuilding, a small gold image which had been kept in the eyebrow of the old statue of the buddha was saved, and this became the central image of the diminished Hōkō-ji. The structure in which this small statue was displayed rested on the approximate site of the Imperial Household Museum in late-Taisho/early-Showa Kyoto. -- see view of stone wall under which was part of the original Hōkō-ji foundations from Keichō 16 (1588)

• Kyōwa
  Kyowa
  was a after Kansei and before Bunka. This period spanned the years from February 1801 through February 1804. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
  
   gannen or Kyōwa 1 (1801): An image one-tenth the size of Hideyoshi's Daibutsu was presented and installed in a temprorary Hōkō-ji Diabutsu-den.

• Tenpō
  Tenpo
  was a , also known as Tempō, after Bunsei and before Kōka. The period spanned the years from December 1830 through December 1844...
  
   15 (1845): A rich man from Owari province
  Owari Province
  was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of present day Aichi Prefecture, including much of modern Nagoya. Its abbreviation is Bishū .-History:The province was created in 646....
  
   presented a gigantic wooden figure which was displayed until both the image of the buddha and the reconstructed Daibutsu-den were destroyed by fire in the late 20th-century. -- see old photo of the Hōkō-ji bell with a view of the 19th-20th century daibutsu-den

• Meiji
  Meiji period
  The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
  
   3 (1870): Hōkō-ji land subdivided—southern portion allotted to Kyōmei-gū and part of the central portion of land was used for the Meiji era reconstruction of the Hōkoku-jinja, with the result being that the size of this temple is very much reduced.
• Meiji 3 (1870): Hōkō-ji belfry (Shōrō) which had been added in 1614 was pulled down and re-erected in a nearby location. The multi-ton bell had not been part of original construction, but over time, it has become irretrievably linked with the history of the temple.

See also

• Ernest Henry Wilson
  Ernest Henry Wilson
  Ernest Henry "Chinese" Wilson , better known as E. H. Wilson, was a notable English plant collector who introduced a large range of about 2000 of Asian plant species to the West; some sixty bear his name.-Career:...
  
   -
• For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the Glossary of Japanese Buddhism
  Glossary of Japanese Buddhism
  This is the glossary of Japanese Buddhism, including major terms the casual reader might find useful in understanding articles on the subject. Words followed by an asterisk are illustrated by an image in one of the photo galleries...
  
  .

External links

• New York Public Library Digitial Gallery, Engelbert Kaempfer's 1691 impression of Hōkō-ji compound (published 1727)
• Kyoto Prefecture: -- see prefectural general information summary
• Kyoto Municipality -- see municipal general information summary

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