Kōfuku-ji
Kōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples in the city of Nara, Japan. The temple is the national headquarters of the Hossō school. It is part of Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, a World Heritage Site.
History
Kōfuku-ji has its origin as a temple that was established in 669 by Kagami-no-Ōkimi, the wife of Fujiwara no Kamatari, wishing for her husband's recovery from illness. Its original site was in Yamashina, Yamashiro Province. In 672, the temple was moved to Fujiwara-kyō, the first planned Japanese capital to copy the orthogonal grid pattern of Chang'an. In 710, the temple was dismantled for the second time and moved to its present location, on the east side of the newly constructed capital, Heijō-kyō, today's Nara. Kōfuku-ji got its name from Kamatari's son Fujiwara no Fuhito, who named it after the Vimalakirti Sutra.Kōfuku-ji was the Fujiwara's tutelary temple, and enjoyed prosperity for as long as the family did. The temple was not only an important center for the Buddhist religion, but also retained influence over the imperial government, and even by "aggressive means" in some cases, thanks to the marriage of Fuhito's daughter marriage to Emperor Shōmu, becoming the Empress Kōmyō. In 730, a result of her conversion and devotion to Buddhism, she ordered the construction of the Five-storied pagoda, now a National Treasure. In 734, her commission of the Saikondō was completed in memory of her mother's death. Under her supervision, according to the Fusō Ryakuki, Japan's first medical dispensary and welfare institution was established at the temple.
When many of the Nanto Shichi Daiji, such as Tōdai-ji, declined after the move of capital to Heian-kyō, Kōfuku-ji kept its significance because of its connection to the Fujiwara.
The temple was damaged and destroyed by civil wars and fires many times, and was rebuilt as many times as well, although finally some of the important buildings, such as one of the three golden halls, the Nandaimon, Chūmon and the corridor were never reconstructed and are missing today. The rebuilding of the Central Golden Hall was completed in 2018.
Rokusō-an was a chashitsu formerly located at the temple and considered one of the San-meiseki. It was relocated due its deteriorated state and is now in the gardens of the Tokyo National Museum.
Architecture and treasures
The following are some of the temple's buildings and treasures of note.Architecture
- East Golden Hall, 1425, one of the former three golden halls
- Central Golden Hall, 2018, reconstructed, the former temporary Central Golden Hall building now serves as the temporary Lecture Hall
- Five-storied pagoda, 1426
- Three-storied pagoda, 1185
- North Octagonal Hall, 1210
- South Octagonal Hall, 1741, Site No.9 of Saigoku 33 Pilgrimage
- Bath House, 1394–1427
Treasures
- The Devas of the Eight Classes, including dry-lacquer Ashura
- The Ten Great Disciples
- Thousand-armed Kannon
- Avalokiteśvara#Manifestations attributed to Kōkei, is housed in Nan'endō
Plan
Showing the original layout of the temple, with the later three-storied pagoda, Nan'en-dō, and Ōyūya superimposed. Of the buildings marked, only these three together with the five-storied pagoda, Tōkon-dō and Hoku'en-dō remain.Sculptures formerly from Kōfuku-ji
- Boston Miroku - oldest sculpture made by the Busshi Kaikei, part of the temple's collection until 1906.
- Burke Jizō - sculpture by Kaikei, now a part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Statue of Jizō (Intan) - another sculpture of Jizō, part of the MET.
- Statues of Brahmā and Indra - Nara period sculpture, now part of the Asian Art Museum (San Francisco)
- Seated Rāgarāja - a sculpture of Rāgarāja made in 1256 by the temple; now part of the Nara National Museum collection
- Four Heavenly Kings - one of the five sets of Four Heavenly Kings statues, dispersed between the temple, the Nara National Museum, and the Miho Museum