Denpodo (Hall of Transmission of the Buddhist Teachings) 伝法堂

Official explanation

Temple records and repair work from 1938–1943 suggest that this lecture hall in the east precinct of the temple was originally the home of Tachibana no Konakachi, a grandchild of Lady Tachibana (the mother of Emperor Shomu’s consort Empress Komyo [701–760]). Lady Tachibana subsequently donated the building to the temple. Like many of the buildings at Horyuji Temple, it has fascinated architects with its stout construction and intricate pattern of frog-leg struts in the ceiling holding up heavy transverse “rainbow beams” (koryo). It is considered an important building in the history of Japanese residential architecture.

Inside the Hall are many statues from the Nara (710–794) and Heian (794–1185) periods, including a set of the Four Heavenly Kings (Shitenno), who are guardians of Buddhism, and an image of Amida Nyorai (Amitabha), flanked by bodhisattva attendants. The Hall is only open to the public once a year on July 24 for a ceremony called the Toin Jizokai,

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.