Enjō-ji (円成寺) | |
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Religion | |
Affiliation | Omuro Shingon |
Deity | Amida Nyorai (Amitābha) |
Location | |
Location | 1273 Ninnikusen-chō, Nara, Nara Prefecture |
Country | Japan |
Geographic coordinates | 34°41′45″N 135°54′55″E / 34.69583°N 135.91528°E |
Architecture | |
Founder | Xulong, Emperor Shōmu & Empress Kōken |
Date established | 756 |
Website | |
http://www.enjyouji.jp/ |
Enjō-ji (円成寺) is a Shingon temple in the northeast of Nara, Japan. A number of its buildings and images have been designated National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, and its late- Heian period gardens are a Place of Scenic Beauty.
Enjō-ji is said to have been founded in 756 by a Chinese priest who accompanied Ganjin to Japan. The temple was enlarged in the late- Heian and Muromachi periods. Much damage occurred during the Ōnin War, and further losses occurred during the Meiji period and after. [1] [2]
The two-storey gate of 1468 and Hondō of 1472 are both Important Cultural Properties. [3] [4] The tahōtō is lost and has been replaced with a modern replica. [5]
Also on the grounds are a number of Shinto shrines. The single bay Kasugadō and Hakusandō of 1227/8 are the oldest extant examples of kasuga-zukuri and are thought to have been moved from Kasuga-taisha when it was rebuilt. [6] In 1953, both buildings were designated National Treasures. [7] [8] The Honden of the shrine to Ugajin dating to the end of the Kamakura period is an Important Cultural Property. [9]
In the tahōtō is a seated wooden statue of Dainichi Nyorai (木造大日如来坐像) of 1176 by Unkei. Of Japanese cypress using the yoseki-zukuri technique, it is gilded over lacquer and has crystal eyes. In 1920, it was designated a National Treasure. [10] In the Hondō is a seated wooden statue of Amida Nyorai (木造阿弥陀如来坐像) of the Heian period, surrounded by wooden statues of the Shitennō (木造四天王立像) of the Kamakura period, all Important Cultural Properties. [11] [12] Other images include a Jūichimen Kannon of 1026, a child prince of 1309 that has been designated a Prefectural Cultural Property, a Fudō Myōō of the Nanboku-chō period, and a gilded Yakushi Nyorai. [2] The gorintō of 1321 has also been designated an Important Cultural Property. [13]
The temple gardens are a rare example of late- Heian Pure Land paradise gardens and in 1973 were designated a Place of Scenic Beauty. [5] [14]
(in Japanese) Enjōji