Jump to content

Takkoku-no-Iwaya

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Takkoku-no-Iwaya
達谷窟
Takkoku no Iwaya
Religion
AffiliationBuddhist
DeityBishamon-ten
RiteTendai
Statusfunctional
Location
CountryJapan
Takkoku-no-Iwaya is located in Iwate Prefecture
Takkoku-no-Iwaya
Shown within Iwate Prefecture
Takkoku-no-Iwaya is located in Japan
Takkoku-no-Iwaya
Takkoku-no-Iwaya (Japan)
Geographic coordinates38°58′08″N 141°03′29″E / 38.96901282°N 141.0581363°E / 38.96901282; 141.0581363 (Takkoku-no-Iwaya)
Architecture
FounderSakanoue no Tamuramaro
Completed801 AD
Website
Official website

Takkoku-no-Iwaya (達谷窟) is a Tendai sect Buddhist temple in Hiraizumi in southern Iwate Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. Its main image is a stone image of Bishamon-ten. Its formal name is the Takkoku no Iwaya Bishamon-do (達谷窟毘沙門堂). The grounds have been designated a National Historic Site since 2005[1]

Overview

[edit]

Takkoku no Iwaya is located approximately six kilometers southwest of Hiraizumi, between the center of town and Genbikei ravine. The temple is built below an overhanging cliff, and incorporates a shallow cave containing a bas-relief statue of Bishamon-ten. In the Heian period, a large statue of Fudō Myōō (designated an Iwate Prefectural Cultural Property) and a bas-relief image of Buddha carved into the rock face were added.

The temple claims to have been founded by the imperial dynasty Chinjufu-shōgun Sakanoue no Tamuramaro in 801 AD to commemorate his victory over the local Emishi tribes, who had used this cave as a fortification. The temple was described in the Kamakura period chronicle, Azuma Kagami.

The temple has burned down many times and its original form is unknown today; the current building dates from 1961 and was modeled after the famous Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto.

Takkoku-no-Iwaya was included in the original 2006 nomination of "Hiraizumi - Cultural Landscape Associated with Pure Land Buddhist Cosmology”,[2] but was removed from the nomination after the failure to secure inscription in 2008; although there are continuing efforts to secure its inclusion through future extension.[3][4]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "達谷窟" [Takkoku-no-Iwaya]. Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  2. ^ 世界遺産の概要 [World Heritage Site: summary] (in Japanese). Iwate Prefecture. Archived from the original on 17 May 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  3. ^ "Report on the 35th World Heritage Committee Session Decision Results for: "Hiraizumi- Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land"". Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  4. ^ Corkill, Edan (18 June 2011). "Temple hopes for UNESCO nod and big cheer for Iwate". The Japan Times. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
[edit]

Media related to Takkoku-no-iwaya Bishamondo at Wikimedia Commons