Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism)
Encyclopedia
Main hall is the term used in English for the building within a Japanese Buddhist
temple compound (garan
) which enshrines the main object of veneration. Because the various denominations
deliberately use different terms, this single English term translates several Japanese words, among them Butsuden, Butsu-dō, kon-dō, konpon-chūdō, and hon-dō. Hon-dō is its exact Japanese equivalent, while the others are more specialized words used by particular sects or for edifices having a particular structure.
A kon-dō, for example Hōryū-ji
's is a true two-story building with a 3x2 bay central core (moya
) surrounded by a 1-bay wide aisles ( making it 5x4 bays, surrounded by an external 1-bay wide mokoshi
, for a total of 9x7 bays. The second story has the same dimensions as the temple's core at the first story, (3x2 bays), but has no mokoshi.
Some temples, for example Asuka-dera
or Hōryū-ji, have more than one kon-dō, but normally only one exists and is the first building to be built. Because of its limited size, worshipers were not allowed to enter the building and had to stand outside. The kon-dō and a pagoda
were usually surrounded by a corridor called kairō.
The use of kon-dō declined after the 10th century, when it was replaced by a hon-dō divided in (inner sanctuary reserved to the deity) and (space for worshipers, like the nave in a church). The term remained in some use even up to the Edo period
, but its frequency decreased drastically after the appearance of the term hon-dō in the Heian period
.
sects (Tendai
and Shingon) to Japan.
Various new types of temple buildings, including the hon-dō, were built during the Heian period, in response to the requirements of new doctrines. Different buildings were called hon-dō depending on the sect, for example: the kondō (Shingon), the chudō (Tendai
), mieidō (Jōdo
), the Amida-dō (Shinshu). A notable evolution of the hon-dō during this period is the inclusion of a space for worshipers inside the hon-dō itself, called gejin (see above).
Other names such as , literally "cardinal central hall" are used as well, for example for the main hall at Mount Hiei
's Enryaku-ji
The hall measures 11x6 bays, of which 11x4 are accessible by the public.. The Tokugawa funeral temple
of Kan'ei-ji
, which had been built explicitly to imitate Enryaku-ji, also had one, though it has not survived. Yama-dera
in Yamagata
is another example of a temple using this name.
and Rinzai . This architectonic style arrived together with Zen during the Kamakura period. Because of its square shape, the Butsuden is also called hōjō. It is at the same time the temple's hon-dō.Daitoku-ji
, Nanzen-ji
and Ryōan-ji
, for example. There are following types of Butsuden or Butsu-dō:
style. The hon-dō of Obaku Zen school temples is usually called . Examples can be found at Mampuku-ji
.
Buddhist temples in Japan
Along with Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples are the most numerous, famous, and important religious buildings in Japan.The term "Shinto shrine" is used in opposition to "Buddhist temple" to mirror in English the distinction made in Japanese between Shinto and Buddhist religious structures. In...
temple compound (garan
Shichidō garan
is a Japanese Buddhist term indicating the seven halls composing the ideal Buddhist temple compound. This compound word is composed by the word , literally meaning "seven halls", and , meaning "temple". The term is often shortened to just garan. To which seven halls the term refers to varies, and...
) which enshrines the main object of veneration. Because the various denominations
Schools of Buddhism
Buddhism is an ancient, polyvalent ideological system that originated in the Iron Age Indian subcontinent, referred to variously throughout history by one or more of a myriad of concepts – including, but not limited to any of the following: a Dharmic religion, a philosophy or quasi-philosophical...
deliberately use different terms, this single English term translates several Japanese words, among them Butsuden, Butsu-dō, kon-dō, konpon-chūdō, and hon-dō. Hon-dō is its exact Japanese equivalent, while the others are more specialized words used by particular sects or for edifices having a particular structure.
Kon-dō (Asuka and Nara periods)
The term , literally "golden hall", started to be used during the Asuka and Nara periods. A kon-dō is the centerpiece of an ancient Buddhist temple's garan in Japan. The origin of the name is uncertain, but it may derive from the perceived preciousness of its content, or from the fact that the interior was lined with gold. This is the name used by the oldest temples in the country.A kon-dō, for example Hōryū-ji
Hōryū-ji
is a Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is Hōryū Gakumonji , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as seminary and monastery both....
's is a true two-story building with a 3x2 bay central core (moya
Moya (architecture)
In Japanese architecture is the core of a building. Originally the central part of a residential building was called moya. After the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the 6th century, moya has been used to denote the sacred central area of a temple building. It is generally surrounded by aisle...
) surrounded by a 1-bay wide aisles ( making it 5x4 bays, surrounded by an external 1-bay wide mokoshi
Mokoshi
In Japanese architecture a , literally "skirt story" or "cuff story", is a decorative pent roof surrounding a building below the true roof. Since it does not correspond to any internal division, the mokoshi gives the impression of there being more floors than there really are...
, for a total of 9x7 bays. The second story has the same dimensions as the temple's core at the first story, (3x2 bays), but has no mokoshi.
Some temples, for example Asuka-dera
Asuka-dera
', also known as ', is a Buddhist temple in Asuka, Nara. Asuka-dera is regarded as one of the oldest in Japan.-Temple complex:A number of records refer to the origin of the temple, such as the Nihongi and Fusō-ryakuki...
or Hōryū-ji, have more than one kon-dō, but normally only one exists and is the first building to be built. Because of its limited size, worshipers were not allowed to enter the building and had to stand outside. The kon-dō and a pagoda
Pagoda
A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
were usually surrounded by a corridor called kairō.
The use of kon-dō declined after the 10th century, when it was replaced by a hon-dō divided in (inner sanctuary reserved to the deity) and (space for worshipers, like the nave in a church). The term remained in some use even up to the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, but its frequency decreased drastically after the appearance of the term hon-dō in the Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
.
Hon-dō (Heian period)
The term , literally means "main hall"The term hon-dō is translated as "main hall" in Japanese-English dictionaries. and it enshrines the most important objects of veneration. The term is thought to have evolved during the 9th century to avoid the early term kondō, at the time used by six Nara sects called the . It became common after the introduction of the two MikkyoMikkyo
Mikkyō is a Japanese term that refers to the esoteric Vajrayāna practices of the Shingon Buddhist school and the related practices that make up part of the Tendai school. There are also various Shingon- and Tendai-influenced practices of Shugendō...
sects (Tendai
Tendai
is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.Chappell frames the relevance of Tendai for a universal Buddhism:- History :...
and Shingon) to Japan.
Various new types of temple buildings, including the hon-dō, were built during the Heian period, in response to the requirements of new doctrines. Different buildings were called hon-dō depending on the sect, for example: the kondō (Shingon), the chudō (Tendai
Tendai
is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.Chappell frames the relevance of Tendai for a universal Buddhism:- History :...
), mieidō (Jōdo
Jodo
, meaning "the way of the jō", or is a Japanese martial art using short staffs called jō. The art is similar to bōjutsu, and is strongly focused upon defense against the Japanese sword. The jō is a short staff, usually about 3 to 5 feet long...
), the Amida-dō (Shinshu). A notable evolution of the hon-dō during this period is the inclusion of a space for worshipers inside the hon-dō itself, called gejin (see above).
Other names such as , literally "cardinal central hall" are used as well, for example for the main hall at Mount Hiei
Mount Hiei
is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga prefectures, Japan.The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tiantai sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei by Saichō in 788. Both Nichiren and Honen studied at the temple before...
's Enryaku-ji
Enryaku-ji
thumb|300px|Konpon Chū-dō , Enryaku-ji's main hall is a Tendai monastery located on Mount Hiei in Ōtsu, overlooking Kyoto. It was founded during the early Heian period. The temple complex was established by Saichō , also known as Dengyō Daishi, who introduced the Tendai sect of Mahayana Buddhism...
The hall measures 11x6 bays, of which 11x4 are accessible by the public.. The Tokugawa funeral temple
Bodaiji
A , in Japanese Buddhism is a temple which, generation after generation, takes care of a family's dead giving them burial and performing ceremonies in their soul's favor. The name is because in Japan the term , which originally meant just Buddhist enlightenment , has also come to mean either the...
of Kan'ei-ji
Kan'ei-ji
-External links:** * National Diet Library: ; *...
, which had been built explicitly to imitate Enryaku-ji, also had one, though it has not survived. Yama-dera
Yama-dera
Yama-dera is about a twenty minute train ride northeast of Yamagata City, in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan at the foot of the steep hill Houshuuyama....
in Yamagata
Yamagata Prefecture
-Fruit:Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.- Demographics :...
is another example of a temple using this name.
Butsuden (Kamakura period)
The , literally "Buddha Hall", is the main hall of Zen schools such as the SōtōSoto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
and Rinzai . This architectonic style arrived together with Zen during the Kamakura period. Because of its square shape, the Butsuden is also called hōjō. It is at the same time the temple's hon-dō.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...
, Nanzen-ji
Nanzen-ji
, or Zuiryusan Nanzen-ji, formerly , is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. Emperor Kameyama established it in 1291 on the site of his previous detached palace. It is also the headquarters of the Nanzen-ji branch of Rinzai Zen...
and Ryōan-ji
Ryoan-ji
is a Zen temple located in northwest Kyoto, Japan. Belonging to the Myoshin-ji school of the Rinzai branch of Zen Buddhism, the temple and karesansui garden is one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site....
, for example. There are following types of Butsuden or Butsu-dō:
- The simplest is a 3x3 bay square building (where "bay" is the space between two pillars, a unit of measurement in Japanese architecture called in Japanese and equivalent to between 181 cm and 197 cm) with no (a mokoshi being an enclosure circling the core of the temple covered by a pent roof, usually one bay in width.
- The second type is also 3x3 bay square, but has a 1 bay wide mokoshi all around the core of the temple, making it look like a two-story, 5x5 bay building as in the case of the butsuden, visible in the photo on the right.
- It is also known that during the 13th and 14th centuries very large butsuden measuring 5x5 bays square having a mokoshi were built, but none survives. Large size 3x3 bay butsuden with a mokoshi however still exist, for example at Myoshin-jiMyoshin-jiis a temple complex in Kyoto, Japan. The Myōshin-ji school of Rinzai Zen Buddhism is the largest school in Rinzai Zen. This particular school contains within it more than three thousand temples throughout Japan, along with nineteen monasteries. The head temple was founded in the year 1342 by the...
(see photo in the Gallery section below).
Edo period
In the case of the Obaku Zen school that arrived late in Japan, the architecture retained the Ming ChinaMing Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
style. The hon-dō of Obaku Zen school temples is usually called . Examples can be found at Mampuku-ji
Mampuku-ji
is a temple located in Uji, Kyoto. It is the head temple of the Japanese Ōbaku Zen sect, named after Wanfu Temple in Fujian, China. The mountain is likewise named after Mount Huangbo, where the Chinese temple is situated.-History:...
.
See also
- Shichidō garanShichidō garanis a Japanese Buddhist term indicating the seven halls composing the ideal Buddhist temple compound. This compound word is composed by the word , literally meaning "seven halls", and , meaning "temple". The term is often shortened to just garan. To which seven halls the term refers to varies, and...
for details about the main hall's position within a temple compound. - The Glossary of Japanese BuddhismGlossary of Japanese BuddhismThis 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...
for terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture. - Mahavira HallMahavira HallA Mahavira Hall or Hall of Mahavira （大雄寶殿), meaning "Hall of the Great Hero" , is the main building of a traditional Chinese Buddhist temple complex, where the historical Buddha and other buddhas and bodhisattvas are enshrined...