Daikōdō (Great Lecture Hall) 圓教寺大講堂

Official explanation

The Daikōdō, or Great Lecture Hall, is the northernmost building of the central trio of structures at Engyōji known as the Three Halls. As its name suggests, The Daikōdō is a place for teaching, and is considered one of the most important buildings in the temple complex. Although the original structure was built in the tenth century by the order of Retired Emperor Kazan (968–1008), the present structure dates to the fifteenth century. Its design, a harmonious blend of continental and Japanese stylistic elements, also bears traits characteristic of the Tendai sect of Buddhism. For example, the hall’s principal image, a statue of Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, stands in a sunken central chamber. The figure is seated upon a lotus blossom, which itself rests upon a tapered dais that narrows at the center. The shape is suggestive of Mt. Sumeru, the five-peaked sacred mountain of Buddhist cosmology that represents the center of the physical, metaphysical, and spiritual worlds.

Shakyamuni is flanked by standing attendants whose hands are similarly poised in a mudra gesture representing the act of teaching. From their elevated position, the gilded triad gaze out across the courtyard toward the forestage of the Jōgyōdō (Circumambulatory Hall), another of the Three Halls. During certain major events of the temple’s yearly calendar, dances are performed on this stage to honor these deities. The alignment of these two structures along a north-south axis and their complimentary placement show the careful planning that went into the configuration of the Three Halls.

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The Daikōdō and each statue of the triad are Important Cultural Properties.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.