Ryoushin no Ryokou Part 3: Ancients

We last left at the end of a guided tour of the ancient capital of Nara. Our kind tour guide showed us some very famous, very beautiful temples and shrines, each with centuries of cultural and historical significance. The day was still young though, at least by a 23 year old's standards, so, after we scarfed down some nice hot bowls of ramen, I took it upon myself to keep the sightseeing going with some late afternoon stops on the outside of town.

Before establishing a permanent capital at Nara, the capital city of the imperial clan was often moved following the death of an emperor, in part because of Shinto beliefs concerning ritual purity and death. Most of the new capitals were simply relocated to the vicinity of next emperor's living quarters though, so many of these ancient places are within a short train ride of downtown Nara, and therefore very accessible to the curious tourist. One such ancient city was just north of modern Nara. It was to the ancient temples of this forgotten capital that I decided to end our first day of sight-seeing.

First Stop: Yakushi-ji

After disembarking at one of the smallest train stations I've ever set foot, I led my parents down the street a mere two blocks to the Yakushi-ji, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Originally constructed under Empress Jito in 697 in Asuka, to the south of modern Nara, the whole temple complex was moved to its current location in 718, following yet another relocation of the capital city. The complex has seen its fair share of fires and war, especially during the sen-koku or "warring states," period of the mid 16th century. Age and neglect continued to take its toll on the Yakushi-ji, well into the 20th century, all the way up to the 1970s, when temple monks began a fund-raising drive to restore the temple. Millions of men and women from across Japan bought meticulously hand-copied editions of the Heart Sutra, and the resulting funds allowed for the complete restoration of the temple.

You can't help but notice the newness of it all when you walk through the entryway, well everything that is except for one of the two pagodas in the inner courtyard. The East Pagoda is in fact totally original, dating back to 730 AD, and is the oldest pagoda in Japan, and the only remaining feat of architecture from the Hakusho Period. Unfortunately, like many of the places we visited on our travels, the Pagoda was under restoration at the time. Fortunately for me, I was able to see it during my previous visit, and have included a photo from that trip here. The temple also had several impressive works of art, including a national treasure, the Bussoku-seki, a stone with the imprints of the Buddha's feet, which dates from the 8th century Tempyo Period, as well as a bronze statue of Kannon, dating from the 7th century Hakusho Period. The temple actually had another section across the street, but we didn't realize this until we were on our way back to the station and the temple was closing its gates to visitors.

Final Stop: Toshodaiji

The final stop for Day 1 was about a half a mile up the road from Yakushiji. Founded by the Chinese high priest Ganjin in 759, this temple has an amazing history and a wealth of beautiful Buddhist artifacts. Ganjin answered a personal request from Emperor Shomu to come to Japan and spread the teachings of the Buddha. It took him twelve years, with five unsuccessful attempts at crossing the ocean as well as the total loss of his eyesight before he safely arrived in Nara in 754. The temple was the first in Japan to be devoted to one of the Chinese sects of Buddhism, in this case the Nanzan sect, and today is the head of japan's Risu-shu denomination of Nanzan Buddhism.

Several of the buildings on the temple grounds date back to the 8th century, including the large Kondo, or "Golden hall," which is considered by many as the greatest Tempyo Era structure remaining in Japan. In the serene and very peaceful wooded grove behind the temple buildings, rests the burial mound and grave of abbot Ganjin. For a temple to have a grave of a founder, or even for the gravesite to be known is a rarity in this country. The main attractions though, are the 17 national treasures and more than 200 Important Cultural Properties that either reside within the temple's two small treasure houses or are on display in the temple halls. These include some of the finest works of Buddhist art from the last twelve centuries, including my own personal favorite, the Senju Kannon. The statue depicts a venerated boddhisattva, Kannon, who is often associated with love and compassion, and said to have been granted 1000 hands with which she might help humanity escape the cycle of reincarnation. Due to the sheer complexity of creating a statue with 1000 arms, most depictions of Kannon limit her to around 40 arms, but this wooden statue actually has 1000 individually carved arms extending from the sides of the body. Well it had 1000 arms anyway, today on 911 remain, but it's still impressive, if not for spiritual reasons then certainly for its craftsmanship. You won't find pictures of these statues in any of our photo albums though. Dad was too worn out to go inside and look at the artwork with me, and then, once Mom and I made it in, we were told to put our cameras away. I did however, purchase a book with photographs and detailed English explanations about all of the major works of art. Next time you see me, ask me about it, and I'll show you!