Banna-ji

Banna-ji (鑁阿寺 Banna-ji?), nicknamed Dainichisama,[1] is a Buddhist temple in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. It was built by Ashikaga Yoshikane in 1197 during the Kamakura Period on the site of what had been an early fortified residence in Japan. It became a historic landmark in March 1921 and the main hall was designated a national treasure on May 17, 2012.[2]

Statue of Binzuru - Buddhist Arhat Pindola Bharadvaja
Banna-ji
鑁阿寺
Banna-ji Temple
Religion
AffiliationShingon
Location
CountryJapan
Geographic coordinates36.3375_N_139.4522_E
Architecture
Completed1197

History

The temple is located on a 40,000-square meter site, that had been a fortified residence of the Ashikaga Clan.[3]

Current site

Although Banna-ji is a temple, there are many defensive features on site that indicate its earlier use as a castle, including earthen ramparts and a water moat enclosing the main bailey of this site. There are four extant gates, which date to the 1500s.[4] This site was included in a list of Japan's Top 100 Castles in 2006 by the Japan Castle Foundation.[5]

References
  1. "国宝　鑁阿寺". www.ashikaga-bannaji.org. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  2. "「鑁阿寺本堂（ばんなじほんどう）」が国宝になりました - 足利市公式ホームページ". www.city.ashikaga.tochigi.jp. Archived from the original on 2014-07-08. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  3. "国宝　鑁阿寺". ashikaga-bannaji.org. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
  4. Ashikagashi-Yakata J Castle http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/94-Ashikagashi-Yakata Archived 2016-04-03 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "日本１００名城 | 公益財団法人日本城郭協会". 公益財団法人日本城郭協会 (in Japanese). 2015-12-12. Retrieved 2016-08-18.

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