Tomyo-ji

The former main hall (hondô) of Tômyô-ji, now at Sankeien in Yokohama

• Established: 735
• Japanese: 燈明寺 (toumyouji)

Tômyô-ji is a Buddhist temple in Kamo Village, in Kyoto prefecture's Soraku District, first established in 735, during the reign of Emperor Shômu. A number of buildings from the temple, including the former hondô (Main Hall) and pagoda, mostly dating to the Muromachi period, were relocated to Sankeien in Yokohama during the Meiji and Taishô periods.

The pagoda was moved to Sankeien in 1914, and is today the oldest pagoda in the Kantô region. The temple's hondô, meanwhile, remained at Tômyô-ji until 1947, when it was damaged in a typhoon and was disassembled and put into storage. The Hall was then reassembled at Sankeien in 1986.

References

• Plaques on-site at Sankeien.