Kofukuji Temple

On 4th May, hubby and I visited Kofukuji Temple. Kofukuji is a Buddhist temple located in Nara City of Nara prefecture. The temple serves as the national headquarters of the Hosso school of Buddhism in Japan. The origin of Kofukuji Temple dates back to 669 AD when Kagami-no-Okimi, consort of the statesman Fujiwara-no-Kamatari, established a temple at the family estate in Yamashina Suehara (present day Kyoto prefecture) to pray for the recovery of Kamatari's illness. This early Fujiwara tutelary temple was first known as Yamashina-dera. In the temple Kagami-no-Okimi enshrined images of a Shaka triad that had originally been commissioned at the behest of Kamatari upon his defeat of the Soga clan in 645. In 672, the temple was moved to Umayasaka near Fujiwara-kyo, the ancient imperial capital of Japan located in Yamato province (present-day Kashihara in Nara prefecture), and the temple was renamed Umayasaka-dera. In 710, the national capital was transferred and established in Heijo-kyo, the present-day Nara City. So the same year the temple was dismantled yet again and Kamatari’s son Fujiwara-no-Fuhito moved the temple to its current location in a central block of Nara City. The temple was renamed Kofukuji and grew rapidly in size and wealth under the patronage of successive emperors and empresses, and members of the powerful Fujiwara clan. The temple developed a particularly close connection with the northern branch of the Fujiwara clan, under whose sponsorship the temple gained considerable power. The temple ranked as one of the Four Great Temples of the Nara period (710-794), and one of the Seven Great Temples of the Heian period (794-1185). During the Heian period, Kofukuji exercised virtual control over Kasuga Shrine, and became a dominant political power in the Yamato province. The temple prospered, but when the Fujiwara clan’s power gradually faded in the 12th century, the temple lost its influential patrons and began to decline. In the Kamakura (1185-1333) and Muromachi (1336-1573) periods, the Shogunate made Kofukuji the protector of Yamato province. But the resources of the temple were eroded during the latter years of the Muromachi period. In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu attempted to revive Kofukuji as a purely religious establishment, which made possible the renovation and reconstruction of many temple buildings. The temple was severely affected by the anti-Buddhist policies of the early years of the Meiji period (1868-1912), at which time Kasuga Shrine became independent under the government ordinance forcing the separation of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. The majority of the property of Kofukuji Temple was confiscated at that time, but the temple managed to recover and continues today as a head temple of the Hosso sect of Buddhism. The temple was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1998 and forms part of the ‘historic monuments of ancient Nara’ listing.

Kofukuji Temple was damaged and destroyed by civil wars and fires many times. The destruction by the Heike civil wars (Genpei War) in 1180 was devastating, during which the Taira clan, the rivals of Fujiwara clan, completely destroyed all the original temple buildings from the Nara period. After the Minamoto clan’s victory in the war in 1185, many of the temple buildings were rebuilt in the 13th and 15th centuries, and were copies of the Nara period originals. Afterwards the temple gradually started eroding but fortunately Tokugawa Ieyasu provided a grant to the temple in the early 17th century to allow many of the buildings in the complex to be restored. Again there was a fire at the temple premises in 1717, and many of the important buildings were lost but most of them were not rebuilt. Additionally the policy of separation between Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples by the Meiji government abandoned this temple in 1868. The temple was allowed to rebuild in 1881, and the buildings were repaired. However, many of the buildings and gates were never reconstructed, so the current temple complex is without gates and fences. Today only a handful of the temple's original 175 buildings remain standing, most of which date from the 13th to 15th centuries. Many of the buildings and the sculptures that they contain have been designated as national treasures by the Japanese government.

As I wrote in the previous post, hubby and I first visited Todaiji Temple in Nara Koen Park on 4th May. After seeing various buildings and statues inside Todaiji Temple premises, we left the temple and started walking along a paved pathway with many tourists all around us. After about 20 minutes of leisurely walking, we reached right in front of Kofukuji Temple premises. In fact, Kofukuji Temple is located just 1.3 kilometers southwest of Todaiji Temple, and is located midway between Nara Koen Park and Kintetsu Nara Railway Station. Since many buildings and structures of Kofukuji Temple were burnt in fires during wars in the medieval era and many of them were not rebuilt, the present-day temple complex is not enclosed. With no entrance gates or fences, visitors can enter the temple complex from any direction. We entered the temple premises from the north-northeast and directly reached into the grounds of the temple premises. And we saw two majestic adjacent wooden buildings right in front of us. The buildings are named Tokondo or the Eastern Golden Hall and Gojunoto or the five-storied pagoda. We appreciated the architecture of the two buildings for some time and clicked a few photos of the buildings from various positions and angles. In the next two paragraphs I will write in details about these two buildings.

Hubby standing in front of a map of Kofukuji Temple premises

Tokondo (left) and Gojunoto (right) buildings as viewed from the northwest

Hubby standing inside the temple premises along with the two buildings in the background

Tokondo (left) and Gojunoto (right) buildings as viewed from the west

Tokondo or the Eastern Golden Hall was originally constructed at the behest of Emperor Shomu in 726 for a speedy recovery of the ailing Empress Gensho. The current building was built in 1415. It is wooden rectangular building having a width of 25.6 meters and a depth of 14.1 meters. The building was constructed in Yosemune-zukuri architectural style and covered with hipped roof of Hongawara-buki formal tiles. The front facade of the building is open like a verandah and is marked by thick wooden columns with no enclosing parts. The inner sanctuary is enclosed. The building maintains an ambience of the original Nara period structure and is designated as a national treasure. This hall building has a display of first-rate collection of many Buddhist statues. The principal deity enshrined inside the hall is a large image of Yakushi Nyorai or the Healing Buddha. In addition, images of Nikko Bosatsu (Bosatsu of sun), Gakko Bosatsu (Bosatsu of moon), Monju Bosatsu (Bosatsu of wisdom), Four Heavenly Kings Shitenno, Twelve Heavenly Generals Junishinsho, and a mortal sage Yuima Koji are also enshrined inside the hall. The images of Yakushi Nyorai, Nikko Bosatsu, and Gakko Bosatsu are designated as important cultural properties. The images of Monju Bosatsu, Shitenno, Junishinsho, and Yuima Koji are designated as national treasures. There is an admission fee of 300 Yen per person to enter inside this building but we skipped entering the hall to see all these images this time as we were not having enough time that day. We appreciated the building architecture for some time and took a few photos from various positions and angles.

Tokondo Hall as viewed from the front (west)

Hubby standing in front of the hall building

The hall as viewed from the southwest

Next we saw Gojunoto or the five-storied pagoda situated adjacent to (south of) the Tokondo Hall. This wooden pagoda is a landmark and symbol of Nara. It was constructed by Empress Komyo in 730. The current building is a restoration completed in 1426. In fact, the pagoda had burnt down five times before this 15th century restoration. It is 50.1 meters tall and is the second tallest pagoda in Japan, just five meters shorter than the five-storied pagoda of Toji Temple in Kyoto. All the five roofs of the Kofukuji pagoda have Hongawara-buki formal tiles and the projection of the eaves of the roofs is deep. The building maintains an ambience of the original Nara period structure and is designated as a national treasure. This pagoda currently houses four Buddha triads (Buddha and two attendants). Enshrined around the central pillar of the first story of the building are a Yakushi (Healing Buddha) triad to the east, a Shaka (Historical Buddha) triad to the south, an Amida (Buddha of the Western Paradise and Infinite Life) triad to the west, and a Miroku (Buddha of the Future) triad to the north. We appreciated the building architecture for some time and took photos of the pagoda from various positions and angles.

Gojunoto or the five-storied pagoda as viewed from the northwest

I am standing in front of the pagoda

The pagoda as viewed from the front (west) while standing near it

The pagoda as viewed from the front while standing a bit far from it

We leisurely walked inside the temple premises and next saw an octagonal wooden building named Nanendo or the Southern Octagonal Hall. The hall is significant because it is temple number nine of the West Japan thirty-three Kannon temple pilgrimage route. The hall was founded and first constructed in 813 by Fujiwara-no-Fuyutsugu. However, the hall building was destroyed several times by fires of war, and the present building is the fourth one since its foundation. In fact, the present building is a reconstruction dating from 1789. The building has Hongawara-buki tiled-roof architectural style. Each wall of the octagonal hall is 6.4 meters wide, and the face-to-face diameter of the walls of the octagonal hall is 15.5 meters. The hall building is designated as an important cultural property. The principal image enshrined inside the hall is that of Fukukensaku Kannon or the Bosatsu of Unfailing Fishing Line. In addition, statues of the six patriarchs of the Hosso School as well as the Four Heavenly Kings Shitenno are also enshrined inside. All these statues are national treasures. The hall is open to the public only once a year, on October 17th. We loved seeing the detailed architectural style of the octagonal building and clicked a few photos of the hall building.

Nanendo Southern Octagonal Hall as viewed from the front (east)

Hubby standing in front of the hall

I am standing near the entrance area of Nanendo Hall

From the Nanendo Hall area, we saw Sanjunoto or a three-storied pagoda located downhill in the southwest corner of the temple premises. Sanjunoto pagoda was built at the behest of the consort of Emperor Sutoku in 1143. The pagoda was destroyed by a fire in 1180 but was soon rebuilt at the beginning of the Kamakura period (1185-1333). The present building is this 12th century reconstruction, and is one of the oldest buildings in the temple premises. The pagoda is 19.1 meters tall and has Hongawara-buki tiled-roof architectural style. It is designated as a national treasure. On the first story of the pagoda are four Buddhist paintings on wood depicting 1000 images each of Yakushi Nyorai (east), Shaka Nyorai (south), Amida Nyorai (west), and Miroku Nyorai (north). Standing at the Nanendo Hall area, we noted that there were quite a few steps along the walkway leading to the pagoda building. We were a bit tired due to walking the entire day visiting various sightseeing places, so we skipped going to Sanjunoto pagoda building and enjoyed seeing the three roofs of the pagoda from the Nanendo Hall area.

Sanjunoto three-storied pagoda

Next we walked towards the northern direction inside the temple premises, and after a couple of minutes we reached right in front of another octagonal wooden building named Hokuendo or the Northern Octagonal Hall. Hokuendo was originally built by Empress Genmei and Empress Gensho in 721, to honor the first anniversary of the death of Fujiwara-no-Fuhito. The current building is a reconstruction which dates from approximately 1210. This building is one of the oldest buildings in the temple premises. The building has Hongawara-buki tiled-roof architectural style. Each wall of the octagonal hall is 4.9 meters wide, and the face-to-face diameter of the walls of the octagonal hall is 11.7 meters. The hall building is designated as a national treasure. The building houses some of the temple’s treasured images and artifacts. The main alter image of Miroku Nyorai (Buddha of the Future) along with the images of Hoonrin Bosatsu, Daimyoso Bosatsu, Mujaku and Seshin Bosatsu (traditional founders of Hosso School), and the Four Heavenly Kings Shitenno are enshrined inside. The images of Miroku Nyorai, Mujaku Bosatsu, Seshin Bosatsu, and Shitenno are designated as national treasures. Hokuendo building is open to the public only for a few days during special viewing periods in the spring and fall. We loved viewing the architecture of the building and clicked a few photos of the building. While appreciating the building, we noted that a notice was put up near the building which indicated that it was open to the public during the time we visited the temple. So we were very fortunate to be able to see the display of all the above-mentioned historic images inside Hokuendo. We paid 300 Yen per person as admission fee to enter inside the hall and enjoyed viewing the various images. Unfortunately photography was not allowed inside the building, and so we clicked a couple of photos of the advertisement notices put up outside the building.

Hokuendo Northern Octagonal Hall as viewed from the front

Hubby standing in front of the hall

Images of (1) Hoonrin Bosatsu, (2) Mujaku Bosatsu, (3) Miroku Nyorai, (4) Seshin Bosatsu, and (5) Daimyoso Bosatsu

Image of Mujaku Bosatsu

We noted that a building named Chukondo or the Central Golden Hall is currently being reconstructed. Chukondo Hall is the main building of the temple. The original hall was built in 714 by Fujiwara-no-Fuhito but it was destroyed by a fire in 1717. Although a replacement hall was built on a smaller in 1811, the original Chukondo was not reconstructed. Later the replacement hall was also damaged due to heavy rain and rendered unusable. Therefore in recent years, it was decided to rebuild the original Chukondo Hall in its full former glory. Reconstruction work is currently ongoing and scheduled to be completed in 2018. We only saw a scaffolding structure covered with shrink wrap sheets. We hope to visit the temple again after the Chukondo Hall is opened to the public.

Chukondo Hall under reconstruction as viewed from the west

At this point, we finished the tour of Kofukuji Temple. We loved viewing various buildings and artifacts inside the temple premises. We noted that there were a few more buildings in the temple premises but we skipped seeing them this time.

Nara Koen Park

As I wrote in an earlier post, hubby and I had been to our home in Ichinomiya City during the Golden Week holidays. On 4th May, we visited Nara Koen Park in Nara City of Nara prefecture. Nara Koen Park is a large public park located in the center of the city. It is a beautiful lawn park situated at the foot of Mount Wakakusa (also called Mount Mikasa), and extends about 4 kilometers from east to west and about 2 kilometers from north to south. Ever since the capital moved to Nara in the year 710, the location of the park has flourished historically and culturally. People love this park location and its surroundings for the historical properties and the climate for more than 1300 years now. The present form of the park was established in 1880, and was designated as a place of scenic beauty in 1922. Most of the major tourist spots of Nara City are concentrated in and around this park. The main attractions like Todaiji Temple, Kofukuji Temple, Kasuga Shrine, and Nara National Museum are located either on the edge or surrounded by the park. These temples, shrines, and other historic structures represent the glory of the city over many centuries. Small streams, ponds, and a few gardens like Isuien and Yoshikien add charm to the park scenery. Although the official size of the park is 5020000 square meters, the area including the grounds of the temples and shrines, is as large as 6600000 square meters. Nara Park is very famous for deer, and therefore the park is alternatively also called as Deer Park. The park is home to over 1200 wild Shika deer freely roaming around. These deer graze along the spacious lawns and frolic on the grass of the park. These deer are considered to be messengers of the gods in Shinto religion. They have become a symbol of the city and have been designated as a natural treasure. Tourists and visitors usually buy deer crackers that are sold inside the park and enjoy feeding them to Shika deer. However visitors have to be a bit careful because while these deer are tamer than deer in the wild, they can be quite aggressive if they see tourists holding the deer crackers.

On 4th May, hubby and I left our home in Ichinomiya City at about 8 am and walked up to Kaimei Railway Station located near our home. We took two local trains and reached Nagoya Railway Station where we spent about an hour on the second floor terrace of the station building and enjoyed seeing various kinds of colorful flowers at the terrace. Standing at the terrace, we also saw several high rise buildings located right across the station. One of the interesting buildings we saw is named Dai Nagoya Building which is rather new and was rebuilt and completed in 2015. This tower building is 174.7 meters tall with 34 floors above and 4 floors below ground. It was very interesting for us to note that the outer wall of the building is one of the representative works of designer Tokolo Asao who designed the logo emblems of Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Looking at the design patterns on the exterior glass walls of the low-rise part of the building’s facade, we could instantly recognize his signature design style of harmonized geometric pattern that expresses elegance and sophistication. We also saw a stainless steel spiral art sculpture in the plaza area in front of the station. In addition, we saw yet another high rise skyscraper building named Midland Square. It is 247 meters tall, and is the tallest building in Nagoya and the fifth tallest building in Japan. We noted that Midland Square building has two tower structures. One of them is office tower which is a 47 storey, 6 basement level tower structure that opened in 2006. The other one is commercial tower which is a 6 storey, 5 basement level tower structure that opened in 2007. It was very interesting to see all these high rise buildings.

I am standing on the second floor terrace of Nagoya Railway Station building

Hubby clicking photos of the high rise buildings located right across the station

Dai Nagoya Building (left) and stainless steel spiral art sculpture (right)

Low-rise part of Dai Nagoya Building (left) and spiral art sculpture (right)

Enlarged view of the low-rise part of Dai Nagoya Building

Exterior glass walls of the low-rise part of the building’s facade

Harmonized geometric pattern on the exterior glass walls

Midland Square building

At Nagoya Station, we took Tokaido Shinkansen train to travel up to Kyoto. The journey was comfortable and it took us about 40 minutes to reach Kyoto Station. Next we traveled by Kintetsu Kyoto Line (for Nara) train for another 40 minutes and reached Kintetsu Nara Railway Station in Nara City at about 11.30 am. Our seats in the Kintetsu train were in the upstairs section of a double-decker car with comfortable interior facilities. The staircase entrance to the car had a stairwell that created a unique interior layout.

Hubby standing on a platform for Tokaido Shinkansen train in Nagoya Railway Station and pointing towards an approaching train

We took this Tokaido Shinkansen train to travel up to Kyoto

I am standing with Sento-kun mascot at Kintetsu Kyoto Line train platform to Nara in Kyoto Railway Station

Hubby searching for our seats inside Kintetsu Kyoto Line train

Hubby sitting at our seats inside the Kintetsu train

We reached Kintetsu Nara Railway Station

From Kintetsu Nara Railway Station, we walked leisurely for about 20 minutes and reached somewhere near the center of Nara Koen Park. Around this central part of the park, we saw many Shika deer freely roaming around. According to the folklore legend, deer from this area were considered sacred due to a visit from Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto, who is one of the four gods of Kasuga Shrine. He was invited from Kashima in Ibaraki, and appeared on Mount Mikasa riding a white deer. From that point onward, the deer were considered divine and sacred here. Although the deer were officially stripped of their divine status after World War II, they are still revered by common people. Nowadays tourists and visitors can purchase deer crackers called Shika-senbei that are sold inside the park and feed them to the deer. Although the deer are tame, they can get aggressive if they see visitors holding deer crackers. We enjoyed walking in the park. It was fun to see these deer graze along the spacious lawns and frolic on the grass of the park. We played with a few of them although initially I was very afraid of them. We also purchased a packet of Shika-senbei and enjoyed feeding the crackers to a few deer. It was so much entertaining. We spent almost an hour with the deer in the park.

Shika deer and I in Nara Koen Park

There were many visitors all around in the park

A deer in the park

Many more deer in the park

Hubby feeding Shika-senbei to a deer

Hubby a bit surprised as another deer came rushing to him for Shika-senbei

Hubby happy to feed this deer also

Hubby loves deer

We continued walking inside the park, and next saw a spacious grassy lawn where many children were busy playing a game of soccer. Towards the eastern side of the grassy lawn, we saw Mount Wakakusa in the background which stands tall at 342 meters above sea level. The mountain has gentle slopes and is like a hill. The mountain is unique in the sense that it is covered with grass. During winter the mountain looks bald and the dead grass is burned in an annual festival known as Yamayaki. The legendary tale of god Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto, as described in the previous paragraph, is based on this mountain. While walking further along the park, we saw a small pond along the way. The pond was aesthetically beautiful and created a beautiful scene among the green landscape. In addition, we also saw the roofs of temples and shrines, and the tips of pagodas peeking through the trees. These enchanting half-hidden views of the rooftops of temples and shrines are actually adjunct features of the landscape and make the park a pleasant space of greenery. Along the way, we also saw a trellis of Wisteria with decorative hanging lavender flower clusters. Walking through the park was really an unforgettable experience for us.

I am standing on the grassy lawn along with Mount Wakakusa in the background

Children playing a game of soccer in the foreground and Mount Wakakusa in the background

Hubby standing next to a pond in the park

I am standing in front of a trellis of Wisteria

Next we visited Todaiji Temple located inside the park premises. It was a wonderful experience to see the world’s largest bronze statue of Daibutsu enshrined inside the world’s largest wooden building named Daibutsuden Hall. I will write about our visit to Todaiji Temple in the next post. Inside Daibutsuden Hall, we bought cute souvenirs like a pair of male and female Omamori amulets for healthy body as well as a keychain with an engraved image of Daibutsu on it.

Daibutsuden Hall of Todaiji Temple

A pair of male and female Omamori amulets for healthy body

A keychain with an engraved image of Daibutsu

Afterwards, we left Daibutsuden Hall of Todaiji Temple and continued walking inside the park. Just east of the hall, we saw a stone monument of the Pillar of Ashoka. In fact, it is the replica of the Lion Capital of Ashoka or the top portion of the Pillar of Ashoka of Sarnath in India. It is modeled after a holy lion, the symbol of Buddhist teachings. The replica was erected in commemoration of the ‘Thousand-Priests’ Service on the occasion of the Hanamatsuri (Buddha’s birthday) celebration at Daibutsuden Hall on 26 April, 1988. This monument was established to transmit the spirit of the young priests down to posterity. We also saw a golden Sorin located next to the Pillar of Ashoka. Sorin is the finial metal top to a pagoda. This Sorin was created and exhibited on the rooftop of a seven storied pagoda at the site of Expo ’70 fair in Osaka. In fact, the pagoda was recreated in the same appearance and dimensions as the seven storied pagoda that once stood on the Todaiji Temple premises about 1200 years ago. After closing of the exposition fair, the Sorin was reestablished in this place in October 1971. The height of this Sorin is 23.3 meters, which serves as a reminder of the humongous magnitude (height) of the original pagoda.

Hubby clicking photos inside the park

Stone monument replica of the top portion of the Pillar of Ashoka

I am standing next to the replica of the Lion Capital of Ashoka

I am standing in front of the golden Sorin

We left Todaiji Temple complex at about 2.30 pm and started walking back in the park premises. We again saw many Shika deer all around in the park. However, this time we noted that almost all the deer were resting or sleeping and refused to eat Shika-senbei crackers from the visitors. They had probably been overfed or had overeaten as it was a holiday season in Japan that time with too many visitors to the park. It was fun to watch a herd of deer resting and sleeping peacefully.

A herd of deer resting peacefully inside the park

Yet another photo of the herd of deer

A sleeping deer

A few more sleeping deer

All of them too sleepy

I am posing with a sleeping deer

Next, we saw many food stalls set up on either side of the main path inside the park premises. They sold fried or grilled food items and cold drinks. We bought Yakisoba along with grilled Yakitori chicken and grilled Kushiyaki beef tongue pieces on skewers. We enjoyed having them while leisurely walking inside the park. While walking we saw an interesting manhole cover with images of a deer and Sakura flowers, the local fauna and flora for which the park is famous.

A food stall owner grilling our food

Hubby eating grilled Kushiyaki beef tongue pieces and holding grilled Yakitori chicken

Manhole cover with images of a deer and Sakura flowers

After having the snacks, we started walking back towards Kintetsu Nara Railway Station. On our way, we visited Kofukuji Temple which is famous for its five-storied wooden pagoda. Kofukuji Temple is also officially located inside Nara Koen Park premises and it was such a wonderful experience to visit this temple of great historical value. I will write about our visit to the temple in a blog post later on.

A five-storied pagoda inside Kofukuji Temple premises

Next, we went to Higashimuki Shopping Arcade, which is a 250-meter-long covered shopping street which extends from the east of Kintetsu Nara Station and Sanjo Dori Street to the south. The arcade has many shops and stores selling souvenirs, arts and crafts, clothes, Kimonos, as well as traditional Japanese sweets and ornaments. We bought a pair of ornamental porcelain Hina dolls and a pair of porcelain cat dolls at one of the souvenir shops. The dolls are so cute.

A pair of porcelain Hina dolls

A pair of porcelain cat dolls

We reached Kintetsu Nara Railway Station at about 5 pm, and took Kintetsu Kyoto Line train to travel up to Kyoto. The journey was comfortable and it took us about 40 minutes to reach Kyoto Railway Station. Next, we traveled by Tokaido Shinkansen train for another 40 minutes and reached Nagoya Station. From there we took yet another local train to reach our home in Ichinomiya City at about 8.30 pm. We were very tired due to travel and sightseeing the entire day but it was really a fun filled outing to Nara Koen Park.

Hubby standing in front of Kintetsu Nara Railway Station

Hubby standing in front of Kintetsu Kyoto Line train at a platform of Kintetsu Nara Station

Hubby sitting at our seats inside Kintetsu Kyoto Line train

Hubby tired and sitting down while waiting for our next train at Kyoto Railway Station

We took this Tokaido Shinkansen train to travel from Kyoto to Nagoya