Muryōkō-in
| Muryōkō-in | |
|---|---|
| 無量光院跡 | |
 Muryōkō-in ruins Hiraizumi | |
  Shown within Iwate Prefecture  Muryōkō-in (Japan) | |
| Basic information | |
| Geographic coordinates | 38°59′34″N 141°06′56″E / 38.99278°N 141.11556°E |
| Affiliation | Buddhist |
| Country | Japan |
| Status | ruins |
| Founder | Fujiwara no Hidehira |
Muryōkō-in (無量光院跡) is former temple in Hiraizumi in what is now southern Iwate Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan.
Muryōkō-in was built by Fujiwara no Hidehira, the third of the Northern Fujiwara rulers of Hiraizumi. It was designed to imitate the Phoenix Hall of Byōdō-in in Uji, south of Kyoto, but on a larger scale. The temple was described in the Kamakura period chronicle, Azuma Kagami.
Twice a year, the centerline of the hall was aligned with the sun setting behind Mount Kinkeisan to the west, creating an image of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Nothing remains of the temple today except for some foundation stones and the remnants of earthen walls. The twelfth-century garden with pond, island and ornamental stones has been reconstructed and were designated a Special Historic Site[1][2][3]
They form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Monuments and Sites of Hiraizumi.
See also
References
- ↑ 無量光院跡 [Muryōkōin Site] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ↑ "Muryokoin Temple Site". Mōtsū-ji. Archived from the original on 24 June 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ↑ Yiengpruksawan, Mimi Hall (1998). Hiraizumi: Buddhist Art and Regional Politics in Twelfth-Century Japan. Harvard University Press. pp. 107–111. ISBN 0-674-39205-1.
- For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the Glossary of Japanese Buddhism.
External links
