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[[Image:Kanzeonji.jpg|right|thumb|300px|One of the chief prayer halls at Kanzeon-ji.]]
*''Founded: [[661]]-[[746]]''
*''Japanese'': 観世音寺 ''(Kanzeonji)''
Kanzeon-ji is a [[Buddhist temple]] in [[Dazaifu]] ([[Fukuoka Prefecture]]) which was once the most important temple on [[Kyushu|Kyûshû]]. It is located just east of the site of the [[Dazaifu government]]. The temple was also called "<i>fu no daiji</i>" (Great Temple of Dazaifu).
It was built upon the orders of [[Emperor Tenchi]], as a memorial to his mother, [[Empress Saimei]], who died in [[661]] in the [[Asakura Tachibana Palace]] (in what is today Asakura District, Fukuoka Prefecture) while leading military preparations to aid the Korean kingdom of [[Paekche]] in regaining territory lost to the kingdom of [[Silla]].
The temple was completed in [[746]], 85 years later. At its height, Kanzeon-ji was the chief temple in Kyushu. An ordination platform was established at Kanzeon-ji in [[761]], making the temple the site of one of three top ordination platforms in the country, along with [[Todaiji|Tôdaiji]] in Nara, and [[Yakushi-ji]] in [[Shimotsuke province]].
In the temple's grounds, seven halls stand today. Many of the buildings were lost over the centuries to fire and typhoon; the ''kondô'' and ''kôdô'' which stand today date to the [[Edo period]], when they were rebuilt by the [[Kuroda clan]] daimyô of Fukuoka. These are prefecturally designated Cultural Properties. The temple is also famous for its bell, a National Treasure, and one of the oldest temple bells in Japan.
The temple's storehouse holds a number of Buddhist sculptures of significance, some quite large. One sculpture of [[Daikokuten]], dating to the 12th century, is one of the oldest extant in the country, and depicts him as a far thinner, less round figure than how he is commonly seen today. Two statues of [[Kannon]], standing over 5 meters tall, date to 1069 and to the 12th century; a third Kannon figure on that scale dates to 1222 and is a reproduction of an 8th century original.
==References==
*Plaques on-site.
*Pamphlets acquired on-site.
[[Category:Asuka Period]]
[[Category:Temples]]
*''Founded: [[661]]-[[746]]''
*''Japanese'': 観世音寺 ''(Kanzeonji)''
Kanzeon-ji is a [[Buddhist temple]] in [[Dazaifu]] ([[Fukuoka Prefecture]]) which was once the most important temple on [[Kyushu|Kyûshû]]. It is located just east of the site of the [[Dazaifu government]]. The temple was also called "<i>fu no daiji</i>" (Great Temple of Dazaifu).
It was built upon the orders of [[Emperor Tenchi]], as a memorial to his mother, [[Empress Saimei]], who died in [[661]] in the [[Asakura Tachibana Palace]] (in what is today Asakura District, Fukuoka Prefecture) while leading military preparations to aid the Korean kingdom of [[Paekche]] in regaining territory lost to the kingdom of [[Silla]].
The temple was completed in [[746]], 85 years later. At its height, Kanzeon-ji was the chief temple in Kyushu. An ordination platform was established at Kanzeon-ji in [[761]], making the temple the site of one of three top ordination platforms in the country, along with [[Todaiji|Tôdaiji]] in Nara, and [[Yakushi-ji]] in [[Shimotsuke province]].
In the temple's grounds, seven halls stand today. Many of the buildings were lost over the centuries to fire and typhoon; the ''kondô'' and ''kôdô'' which stand today date to the [[Edo period]], when they were rebuilt by the [[Kuroda clan]] daimyô of Fukuoka. These are prefecturally designated Cultural Properties. The temple is also famous for its bell, a National Treasure, and one of the oldest temple bells in Japan.
The temple's storehouse holds a number of Buddhist sculptures of significance, some quite large. One sculpture of [[Daikokuten]], dating to the 12th century, is one of the oldest extant in the country, and depicts him as a far thinner, less round figure than how he is commonly seen today. Two statues of [[Kannon]], standing over 5 meters tall, date to 1069 and to the 12th century; a third Kannon figure on that scale dates to 1222 and is a reproduction of an 8th century original.
==References==
*Plaques on-site.
*Pamphlets acquired on-site.
[[Category:Asuka Period]]
[[Category:Temples]]