Seventh-century Buddhist temple in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
Kanzeon-ji's
Asuka period
bell, a
National Treasure
Inventory of Kanzeon-ji from 905, now in
Tokyo
; a
National Treasure
Avalokite?vara
Kanzeon-ji
(
?世音寺
)
is a seventh-century
Buddhist temple
in
Dazaifu, Fukuoka
,
Fukuoka Prefecture
,
Japan
. It was once the most important temple in
Kyushu
. Its
bell
, one of the oldest in the country, has been designated a
National Treasure
,
[1]
and in 1996 the
Ministry of the Environment
designated its sound as one of the
100 Soundscapes of Japan
.
[2]
[3]
Many statues of the
Heian period
are
Important Cultural Properties
.
History
[
edit
]
The origins of Kanzeon-ji re uncertain, and its oldest known appearance in historical documentation is in the
Kanzeon-ji Zaizaicho
(
National Treasure
, owned by
Tokyo University of the Arts
), compiled in 905. According to the
Shoku Nihongi
, Kanzeon-ji was founded by
Emperor Tenji
in honour of his mother
Empress Saimei
. As she died in 661 it is assumed that construction began shortly thereafter; however, it was still incomplete fifty years later when in 709 additional workers were assigned. A further entry in the
Shoku Nihongi
indicates that it was completed on in 746. The oldest
roof tiles
excavated from the temple grounds date to the 7th century and have patterns of double-valved, eight-petaled lotus-shaped eaves and eccentric
arabesque
patterns also found in
Fujiwara-ky?
and
Kawara-dera
in
Asuka, Nara
. The
bonsh?
bell at Kanzeon-ji was cast using the same wooden mold as the bell at
My?shin-ji
in Kyoto, which has the date inscription of 698. All of the original structures of Kanzeon-ji have been lost and rebuilt repeatedly due to fires and other disasters. Excavation has revealed that the original layout of the temple was patterned after
Kawara-dera
, with a south gate, middle gate,
Kond?
(Main Hall) to the west, pagoda to the east and a lecture hall in the centre, with a
cloister
.
[4]
In 761, the monk
Ganjin
constructed a Kaidan-in, which permitted monks trained at this temple to be fully ordained without having to travel all the way to the capital. In 1064, a fire destroyed the lecture hall and pagoda. In 1102, the Kond?, South Gate, and other buildings collapsed due to a strong wind. The Kond? was later restored, but it was destroyed again in a fire in 1143. The temple went into decline in the
Muromachi
and
Sengoku Periods
, and by 1630, its only remaining main hall In 1630, the only remaining main hall collapsed during a rainstorm, and Kanzeon-ji was reduced to an abandoned temple.
In 1631, a new
Kond?
was built, and under the sponsorship by the
Kuroda clan
of
Fukuoka Domain
. The Kond? and lecture hall were rebuilt in the
Genroku
era (1688-1703). These structures are now designated Fukuoka Prefectural Tangible Cultural Properties.
[5]
From 1913 to 1914, repairs were made to the badly damaged Buddha statues. In 1959, the
reinforced concrete
treasure house was completed. This was one of the earliest temple cultural property repositories built.
The grounds and ruins of Kanzeon-ji
(
?世音寺境?及び子院跡
)
were declared an
National Historic Site
in 1970.
[6]
Cultural Properties
[
edit
]
Kanzeon-ji houses a
National Treasure
and a number of
statues
and other items that are
Important Cultural Properties
:
A
Heian period
inventory of Kanzeon-ji
(
?世音寺資財帳
)
dating to 905 and now in
Tokyo
has been designated a National Treasure.
[27]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Kanzeonji (Dazaifu)
at Wikimedia Commons