Hokkedo, Hall of the Lotus Sutra 法華堂

Official explanation

This hall, like the Jogyodo, was constructed for the practice of meditation. Jogyodo is the larger of the two because it was made for walking meditation, which required sufficient room to walk around the hall’s main object of worship. In contrast, the Hokkedo is built smaller because it was made for sitting meditation, which requires much less space. Monks would stay inside the hall for ninety days and sit in meditation. The two halls are constructed in contrasting styles: the Jogyodo has Japanese-style square windows, whereas the Hokkedo is built in a “Chinese style” with garlic clove-shaped windows. This pairing of walking meditation and sitting meditation halls made respectively in Japanese and Chinese styles is rare. The Ninaido Hall at the Enryakuji Temple near Kyoto is another example.

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.