Ancient Kyoto: Nishi Hongan-ji Temple

Overview

Location: Kyoto, Japan, Asia

The Nishi Honganji Temple complex in downtown Kyoto is known for its massive Founder’s Hall Gate, its two vast and nearly identical temples, and its lovely gardens.

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Ancient Kyoto: Nishi Hongan-ji Temple

Official UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994

Kyoto was the main centre for the evolution of religious and secular architecture and of garden design between the 8th and 17th centuries, and as such it played a decisive role in the creation of Japanese cultural traditions which, in the case of gardens in particular, had a profound effect on the rest of the world from the 19th century onwards. Buddhism had already been introduced from China and Chinese culture was having a profound influence on Japan when the capital was moved from Heijo-ko (Nara), after 10 years at Nagaoka, to Kyoto, under the name of Heian-ko, in AD 794. The city plan was modelled on Chinese cities such as Changshan, capital of Tang China. It was the heart of the aristocratic society that clustered around the imperial court for the four centuries of the Heian period (794-1192). For most of this period there was a prohibition on the building of Buddhist temples inside the city, apart from the two imperial temples (To-ji and Sai-ji).

Properties on the World Heritage site that date from the foundation of Heian-kyo are Karmwakeikauchi-jinja (Shinto shrine), Amomioya-jinja (Shinto shrine), Kyo-o-gokoku-ji To-ji (Buddhist temple), Kiyornim-dera (Buddhist temple), and Enryaku-ji (Buddhist temple); the two large Buddhist temples of Daigo-ji and Ninna-ji are representative of the early Heian period. By the end of the Heian period the military samurai class was growing in power, and the resulting unrest, coupled with the fact that the world would enter its final years, according to Buddhist doctrine, in 1052, led to an increase in religious fervour. The Buddhist temple of Byodo-in and the Ujigami-jinja date from this period.

A civil war in 1185 led to the establishment of a samurai military regime at Kamakum; however, the imperial court remained at Kyoto. The Sekisui-in at Kozan-ji is the best example of the residential architecture of this period, which ended in 1332 with the establishment of the Muromachi Shogunate. This period saw the building of large temples of the Rinzai Zen sect, such as Temyu-ji, and the creation of Zen gardens, of which that at Saiho-ji is a representative example.

At the end of the 14th century, the Muromachi Shogunate reached the apogee of its power, and this is reflected in buildings such as the villa of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, which later became the Buddhist temple Rokuon-ji. The villa of a later shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, built in a more refined style in the mid-15th century, was also converted into a temple, Jisho-ji. Garden design was refined into pure art, as demonstrated by the garden of the abbot's residence at Ryoan-ji. Much of Kyoto was destroyed in the Onin War (1467-77), but it was rebuilt by a new urban merchant class, who replaced the aristocrats who had fled during the war. In 1568 Oda Nobunaga seized power, and he was followed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who unified the country and built a 23 km wall round Kyoto. The centre of power moved to Edo (present-day Tokyo) when a new shogunate was established under Tokugawa Ieyasu. The authority of the Tokugawa Shogunate was given material form in Kyoto with the construction of the strong castle of Ngo-jo at the heart of the city. At the same time Hideyoshi's defences were dismantled.

The political stability of the Momoyama period (1573-1614) saw a new spirit of confidence among both the military and the merchants, reflected in the opulence and boldness of the architecture, represented by the Sanpo-in residential complex and garden at Daigo-jo and the prayer and reception halls at the Buddhist temple of Hongan-ji, moved from Osaka to Kyoto as a symbol of the city's revival. The beginning of the long Edo period (1615-1867) saw Heian temples and shrines, such as Kiyomimdera, being restored in traditional style. During this period the supremacy of Kyoto as a centre of pilgrimage became established. After the Meiji restoration of 1868 the capital and the imperial court moved to Tokyo.

One of the results was the adoption of a modernization policy that led to the transformation of Kyoto into a modern city. This caused the city's cultural heritage to be neglected; however, the national government was aware of what was happening, and introduced the first ordinance for the protection of antiquities in 1871. This was superseded in 1897 by the important Ancient Shrines and Temples Preservation Law, which marked the beginning of the protection and conservation programmes of modern Japan.

Honganji, which means Temple of the Primal Vows, is the collective name for the largest school of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism in Japan. That group then divides into two branches, Nishi and Higashi, which helps to explain why there are two separate temples, one as enormous as the other, on the Nishi Honganji’s vast campus in downtown Kyoto.

These two temples, both of which have recently undergone renovation, serve as the headquarters for the Jodo-Shin (or True Pure Land) sect of Buddhism, and the activity surrounding them reflects the enthusiasm present-day Japanese have for this branch of their faith.

The Honganji temple was built in 1321, and was moved to Tokyo in 1591. Many of the other buildings in this historic temple complex were constructed between 1500 and 1700 and were also moved to Kyoto.

The two main temples are similar, having been built at approximately the same time. Each has a large Founder’s Hall, and a smaller room called an Amida-so, which houses the image of the Buddha.

The vast Nishi Honganji complex covers a total area of 99,000 square meters (1,065,627 square feet), with interior space totaling 29,700 square meters (319,688 square feet). Its Founder’s Hall Gate, called the Goei-dō, can easily be seen from downtown Kyoto.

The temple complex’s carefully groomed garden is lined with palm trees and is home to two stages (one is said to be the oldest Noh stage still in existence), where traditional Noh drama is performed. There is also a large tea pavilion and a traditional Chinese gate, said to have been brought from Fushimi Castle, built in 1592. It took between 20,000 and 30,000 workers to build the original wooden castle. In 1964 a replica was erected on the temple grounds.