Saidai-ji
Encyclopedia
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
temple in the city 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...
, Nara Prefecture
Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....
, 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...
. The temple was established in AD 765
765
Year 765 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 765 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.-Africa:* The Zenete Berber tribe of Banû Ifrân rebels...
as a counterpart to Tōdai-ji
Todai-ji
, is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall , the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu . The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the ...
and it is the main temple of the Shingon Risshu
Shingon Risshu
The is a comparatively small medieval sect of Japanese Buddhism that arose in the Kamakura Period as an offshoot of the parent Shingon sect. The founder was a monk named Eison , a disciple of Jōkei, and carried further by Eison's disciple Ninshō .The school is marked by an increased emphasis...
(真言律宗) sect of Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
after the sect's founder, Eison, took over administration in 1238.
One building, the Aizen-dō, houses a statue of Aizen Myō-ō
Aizen Myo-o
Rāgarāja is a Mahayana Buddhist deity from the Esoteric and Vajrayana traditions. He is especially venerated in the Japanese Buddhist schools of Shingon and Tendai, and the general Chinese Esoteric schools of Tángmì and Mìzōng.-Nomenclature:Rāgarāja is known to transform worldly lust into...
, while the main image is of Shakyamuni Buddha, erected by Eison in 1249.
Saidai-ji stands close to Yamato-Saidaiji Station
Yamato-Saidaiji Station
is a train station owned by Kintetsu Corporation and located in Saidaiji Kunimichō Itchōme, Nara, Japan. The station is also called or .-Lines:*Kintetsu**Nara Line**Kyoto Line**Kashihara Line...
on the Kintetsu Nara Line.
See also
- For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see 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...
. - List of National Treasures of Japan (paintings)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (writings)
- List of National Treasures of Japan (crafts-others)