Sanjusangen-do,+Kyoto

=Sanjusangen-do, Kyoto=  My Reaction to Seeing this Temple:

Considering that mine was one of the first temples we visited in Kyoto, I was super excited to see it!!! The temple really blew me away with all of the idols. I could not imagine the time and patience that went into making over 1000 of these statues. This temple really set the bar for having items to look at! The atmosphere was kind of spooky at times since I felt like they were staring at me. The outside areas where the archery meets took place gave more information on the tournament. The extra items such as bows and arrows was a nice touch.

The ony criticism I have is that the outside was not as beautiful as other temples we went to. Some temples had gorgeous gardens and mountain views that just made me feel so in touch with the spiritual side of myself as well as Japanese religion since nature is such a prevelant part of their religion. I saw the beauty more inside and not outside of my temple. I felt like other temples had the best of both worlds. Sanjusangendo is a Buddhist temple located in the eastern part of Kyoto which is the 7th largest city. The name of this temple means a hall with thirty three spaces between columns.

The temple is under the directive of Myoho-in temple which is a part of the Tendai school of Buddhism. This is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism which originated in India and was eventually brought over by the Chinese.

The building was erected under the order of Emperor Go-Shirakawa in 1164. This Emperor was the 77th emperor of Japan. This emperor is known to have favored the samurai and because of his polices the samurai gained control for over 700 years.

In January the temple has an event called the Rite of the Willow. This event involves the process of worshippers are touched on the head with a scared willow branch to cure and prevent headaches. The leaves and the bark have been used in other cultures to cure aches and fever. The willow also is associated with the deity at the temple.

There was also an archery tournament known as Tōshiya. This tournament was stated to have begun when a samurai was able to shoot 51 arrows in succession down the verandah. Soon the event developed into a challenge were competitors would aim for a target. In the 1800’s the name of the event was changed to Oh-mato Taikai or Festival of the Great Target.

To view the main site click here for this temple click below. If you have Google toolbar installed then use it to translate the page. Very interesting. []

To see a Google map of the place click here.

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For more information on Japanese Buddhism to understand the religion of this temple click on links below. [] [] [] =Click on Gallery link below to see pics about this temple. =