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| Sanjūsangen-dō | |
|---|---|
 Sanjusangen-dō in 2022 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Tendai |
| Deity | Thousand ArmedKannon (Sahasrabhuja-arya-avalokiteśvara) |
| Location | |
| Location | 605-0941, Sanjusangendomawari,Higashiyama-ku,Kyoto,Kyoto Prefecture 675 |
| Country | Japan |
 Interactive map of Sanjūsangen-dō | |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | Taira no Kiyomori |
| Completed | 1164 |
Sanjūsangen-dō (三十三間堂;Temple of thirty-threebays) is aBuddhist temple of theTendai sect in theHigashiyama district ofKyoto,Japan.
The temple was founded in 1164 byTaira no Kiyomori for the cloisteredEmperor Go-Shirakawa. It is officially known asRengeō-in (蓮華王院;hall of the Lotus King) and belongs to theMyōhō-in temple complex.
Sanjūsangen-dō is most famous for its massively longhondō (main hall) dating from 1266 (Kamakura period) and designated aNational Treasure of Japan, and the collection of sculptures it houses, including 1001 standingThousand-armed Kannon, 28 standing attendants, a statue ofFūjin and a statue ofRaijin, and the principal image of the temple, a big seated statue of Thousand-armed Kannon, all of them designatedNational Treasures in the category of sculptures, most of them dating to theHeian toKamakura periods.
34°59′16″N135°46′18″E / 34.98778°N 135.77167°E /34.98778; 135.77167
Sanjūsangen-dō was founded by the famoussamurai and politicianTaira no Kiyomori (1118-1181) in 1164 for the cloisteredEmperor Go-Shirakawa.[1][2] He built the temple in the emperor's own compoundHōjūji-dono in order to gain a noble title, that of Chancellor of the Realm, becoming the firstsamurai to do so. Go-Shirakawa's compound was around 1100 square meters in size, divided intoMinamidono (the southern estate) andKitadono (the northern estate). When Go-Shirakawa died in 1192, he was buried in the temple's eastHokkedō (hall of theLotus Sutra).[3]
The temple complex originally included several buildings other than thehondō (main hall), including agojūnotō (five-storiedpagoda), a Kannondō (a hall ofKannon) and a Fudodō (a hall of theFour Heavenly Kings).[3] All of these buildings were completely destroyed in 1249 by a fire that broke out in the city.[1] TheEmperor Go-Saga (1220–1272) ordered the reconstruction of thehondō, which began in 1251. The building was completed in 1266 and survives to the present day. From the original 1000 standingThousand-armed Kannon dating from the temple's construction in the lateHeian period, only 124 were saved from the fire. The Emperor also ordered 876 new Kannon statues to replace the lost ones. These were created by three groups of Buddhist sculptors,Kei school (Keiha), En school (Enpa) and In school (Inpa), during the course of 16 years.[3]
A popularkyūjutsu (archery) tournament known asTōshiya ("passing arrow") was held at the west veranda of the temple for 255 years during theEdo period. The contest originated in the late 16th century[4] dating back to 1606 when asamurai named Asaoka Heibei is said to have shot 51 arrows in rapid succession down the length of the veranda.[5] In the beginning, archers shot arrows from the southern end of the veranda to the northern end where acurtain-like ornament was erected as atarget. The contest gained popularity during theEdo period and by the late 17th century competitions between participants from theOwari andKishū provinces were drawing big crowds.[3]
The duel between the famous warriorMiyamoto Musashi and Yoshioka Denshichirō, leader of theYoshioka-ryū, is popularly believed to have been fought just outside Sanjūsangen-dō in 1604.[3]
In the second Sunday of January, the temple has an event known as theRite of the Willow, where worshippers are touched on the head with a sacred willow branch to cure and prevent headaches, and a modern version of theTōshiya, theFestival of the Great Target, is held on the west veranda, drawing roughly 2,000 participants from throughout Japan. Archers shoot arrows into targets approximately 50 - 100 centimeters in diameter and 60 meters (198 feet) away at the opposite end of the veranda. The festival was initially male-dominated, but in recent times it has shifted to being mainly women dressed in traditionalkimonos, with the target being 120 meters (394 feet) away.[6][3][2]
The main deity of the temple isSahasrabhuja-arya-avalokiteśvara or the Thousand ArmedKannon. The statue of the main deity was created by theKamakurasculptorTankei and is aNational Treasure of Japan. The temple also contains one thousand life-size statues of the Thousand Armed Kannon which stand on both the right and left sides of the main statue in 10 rows and 50 columns. Of these, 124 statues are from the original temple, rescued from the fire of 1249, while the remaining 876 statues were constructed in the 13th century. The statues are made ofJapanese cypress clad in gold leaf. The temple is 120 - meter long.[7] Around the 1000 Kannon statues stand 28 statues of guardian deities. There are also two famous statues ofFūjin andRaijin.
The 28 guardian deities stand in front of the Buddhist Kannon have their origins in Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. These ideas came to Japan through China, and the presence of both Hindu and Buddhist deities at Sanjūsangen-dō temple in Kyoto suggest various theories of the origin and spread of the spiritual and cultural ideas from India to east Asia.[8]
Life-size statues of these deities are housed at Sanjūsangen-dō where they guard the principal statue of the 11 feet tall seated Senju Kannon. The temple also features 1,000 standing statues of the Senju Kannon. The deities at Sanjūsangen-dō include Naraenkengo-ou, Misshaku-kongorikishi, Touhou-ten, Birurokusha-tennou, Birubakusha-tennou, Bishamonten, Daibon-tennou, Taishaku-ten, Daibenkudoku-ten, Mawara-ou, Jinmo-ten, Konpira-ou, Manzensha-ou, Hippakara-ou, Gobujyogo-ten, Konjikikujyaku-ou, Sanshitai-sho, Nandaryu-ou, Sakararyu-ou, Karura-ou, Kondai-ou, Mansen-ou, Magoraka-ou, Makeishura-ou, Kendabba-ou, Ashura-ou, Kinnara-ou and Basusennin. These deities trace their origins to Indian Dharmic mythology covering Hindu, Jain and Buddhist, and correspond toVaruna,Vishnu,Lakshmi,Brahma,Shiva,Garuda,Vayu,Narayana,Indra and others.[8][9]
Sanjūsangen-dō offers guided tours to visitors year-round. Visitors will get an in-depth look at the history of the temple as they explore its grand halls. Visitors can also come during the annual archery contest known asTōshiya, which showcases traditional archery skills. Visitors can get to the temple by taking a train ride to Kyoto's station then after a short bus ride on buses 206 and 208, followed by a 20-minute walk they will be at the temple.[10]
The temple is close to many other attractions, such as theKyoto National Museum so visitors are encouraged to visit the other sights while at the temple. Cameras are not allowed inside the temple, but a photo book will be offered at the end of the guided tour that you can purchase.
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![One of the 28 Sanjusangen-do temple deities, Taishakuten (帝釈天)[11]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aTwenty-Eight_Attendants_(Taishakuten)_Sanjusangendo.jpg)
