- Established: 603
- Japanese: 広隆寺 (Kouryuu-ji)
Kôryû-ji is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Kyoto famous for its 7th century statue of the bodhisattva Maitreya (J: Miroku) which in 1884 became the first object to be designated a National Treasure of Japan. The temple houses 19 other National Treasures, and 48 Important Cultural Properties.
The temple was established in 603 by Shôtoku Taishi and may be the oldest Buddhist temple still active in Kyoto today. The temple identifies its lecture hall (Kôdô), built in 1165, as the oldest building in Kyoto, though the pagoda at Daigo-ji, built in 951, is the oldest wooden structure in the city.[1] The Kôdô houses a number of important treasures, including an eight-foot-tall wooden sculpture of Amida Buddha designated as a National Treasure, and statues of the bodhisattvas Jizô and Kokûzô (both Important Cultural Properties) flanking it.
Another National Treasure on the grounds is the Keigû-in Hall, a one-story octagonal building also known as Hakkakudô (lit. eight-sided hall), built in 1251.
The famous Maitreya statue, a large Heian period wooden statue of Senju Kannon, and a number of other treasures are housed in a structure called the Shin-Reihôden treasure hall, in the rear of the complex.
References
- Official pamphlet from Kôryû-ji.