Saidai-ji (西大寺) or the "Great Western Temple" is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples in the city of Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The temple was first established in AD 765 as a counterpart to Tōdai-ji and it is the main temple of the Shingon Risshu (真言律宗) sect of Buddhism after the sect's founder, Eison (叡尊), took over administration in 1238.[1] It has undergone several reconstruction efforts since then during the succeeding centuries.
| Saidai-ji 西大寺 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Shingon Ritsu |
| Deity | Shaka Nyorai (Śākyamuni) (Important Cultural Property) |
| Status | Head Temple |
| Location | |
| Location | 1-1-5 Saidaiji Shibachō, Nara, Nara Prefecture |
| Country | Japan |
| Geographic coordinates | 34°41′37″N 135°46′46.2″E / 34.69361°N 135.779500°E |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | Jōtō and Empress Kōken |
| Date established | 765 |
| Completed | 1808 (Reconstruction) |
| Website | |
| saidaiji | |
One building, the Aizen-dō, houses a statue of Aizen Myō-ō, while the main image is of Shakyamuni Buddha, erected by Eison in 1249.[1]
Building list
edit- Main Hall (Hondō – 本堂) – Important Cultural Property. It was rebuilt in 1808.
- Shiō-dō (四王堂) – It was rebuilt in 1674.
- Aizen-dō (愛染堂) – It was reconstructed in 1762.
-
Shiō-dō -
Aizen-dō -
Manjushri Bodhisattva (Monju Bosatsu)
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Watt, Paul B. (March 8, 1999). "Chapter 7: Eison and the Shingon Vinaya Sect". In Tanabe, George (ed.). Religions of Japan in Practice. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-05789-3.
External links
edit- "Saidai-ji Temple Homepage" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2010-02-05.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saidai-ji.