Amida Buddha
National Treasure (Tresures)
Heian period
By Jocho
277.2cm
Wooden Structure
Lacquer and Gold Leaf
Amida Buddha
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Byodoin’s Amida (Sk. Amitabha) Buddha is a designated National Treasure, installed on its lotus-shaped pedestal in the Amida Hall (Phoenix Hall) nearly 1,000 years ago. The image gazes at the devotee through eyelids half-closed in meditation, one leg folded over the other in meditative posture. His gentle features, upright seated pose, and hands held in a sacred mudra (gesture) depict the Buddha in a pose of relaxed concentration. The statue was completed in 1053, a year after aristocrat Fujiwara no Yorimichi (992–1074) founded Byodoin. Pure Land (Jodo) devotees feared that the age of Mappo (“the end of the Law”) was imminent and that the traditional doctrines and practices of Buddhism would become ineffective. Believers such as Yorimichi hoped to be reborn in the Pure Land and there to make progress toward enlightenment under favorable conditions afforded by the blessings of Amida Buddha. Yorimichi commissioned the statue in the hope that this act of faith would help him to enter Amida’s Pure Land. The 2.8-meter-tall statue is the only surviving work attributed to Jocho (?–1057), distinguished Buddhist sculptor of the Heian period (794–1185). Jocho was highly influential: his Byodoin Amida became a stylistic standard for Buddhist statuary for the next two centuries. Jocho and his workshop created this Amida using the joined-wood technique known as yosegi-zukuri. The technique entails the joining together of smaller pieces of wood to construct larger, lightweight, but durable statues. After Jocho and his team joined the individual cypress blocks together and carved and shaped them, layers of cloth, lacquer, and gold leaf were applied to cover the statue’s joints. The final step gave the statue a celestial golden glow.
Tachibana no Toshitsuna
The third son of Fujiwara no Yorimichi, he was adopted by Tachibana no Toshito. Influenced by his father Yorimichi, he developed a deep understanding of garden landscapes.
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Sakuteiki
Written during the Heian period, this is the oldest known Japanese garden manual.
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Aji-ike pond
In esoteric Buddhism, the first letter of the Bonji (Siddham script) for a short "a" sound is used to represent the truth of all universal phenomena being unborn and undying. This garden is designed to mirror the jeweled pond in the realm of the Dainichi Nyorai (Vairocana Buddha). It is created with prayers for the Western Pure Land. At the center of the pond lies an island, upon which is built the palace of Amida Buddha. It is said that the pavilion appears to float upon the jeweled pond of paradise.
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Jodo Garden
A form of Japanese garden constructed from the Heian period (749–1185) through the Kamakura period (1185–1333).
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bodhisattva
One who undergoes extensive training in pursuit of Buddha’s enlightenment in order to save all beings.
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Jizo
Associated with compassion and healilng, it is believed that Jizo Bodhisattva came to the world to save the people during the period between the death of Shakyamuni and the advent of Maitreya Bodhisattva, who would bring salvation.
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Eleven-Headed Kannon
A deity revered since the Nara period. The eleven heads allow Kannon to gaze in all directions to alleviate the suffering of people.
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side pavilion (tsuridono)
One of the main structures in the shinden-zukuri architectural style. It is an open building without walls or doors, facing the pond.
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Tenpyo period
The period from 729 to 749, during the reign of Emperor Shomu. The term Tenpyo Culture denotes the flourishing aristocratic and Buddhist culture centered around the capital city of Heijo-kyo in Nara.
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Cultural Heritage Featuring This Term
Kamakura period
The name of the period that lasted for approximately 150 years from when Minamoto no Yoritomo founded the Kamakura Shogunate in 1192 until Hojo Takatoki’s death in 1333.
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yosegi-zukuri
A wood sculpting technique in which multiple pieces of wood are combined to create the head and torso of a statue. This method involves hollowing out the interior to reduce weight, allowing for the construction of large statues with minimal wood, among other advantages. It is a technique unique to Japan and was perfected from the mid to late Heian period (794–1185).
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Jocho
A mid-Heian period (749–1185) Buddhist sculptor and son of Kojo. He was honored with the rank of hokkyo for his significant contributions to the creation of Buddhist images at Hojo-ji. The only still-existing work attributed to him is the seated statue of Amida Buddha in the Phoenix Hall of Byodoin. Jocho is credited with perfecting the yosegi-zukuri (joined-wood) technique in Buddhist statuary.
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Age of Mappo
A perspective on the ages in Buddhism divides time into three periods: the Age of the True Law (Shobo), the Age of the Copied Law (Zobo), and the Age of No Law (Mappo). The Age of Mappo is a time when, despite human efforts to practice correctly, only the teachings remain, and enlightenment cannot be attained.
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Pure Land (Jodo) devotees
The belief in being reborn in the Pure Land, where Buddhas and Bodhisattvas reside. The Pure Land includes the Western Paradise of Amida Buddha, the Lapis Lazuli Pure Land of Yakushi Nyorai, the Tusita Heaven of Maitreya Bodhisattva, and the Mount Potalaka of Kannon.
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Cultural Heritage Featuring This Term
Pure Land (Jodo)
The term refers to the Pure Land presided over by Amida Buddha. It lies far to the west, separated from the human world by 10 thousand billion Buddha realms. It is depicted as a tranquil world free from worldly desires, where lotus flowers bloom abundantly.
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Fujiwara no Yorimichi
Born between 992 and 1074, Fujiwara no Yorimichi was the son of Fujiwara no Michinaga and Rinshi, the daughter of Minamoto no Masanobu. He served as chief advisor for three emperors including Go-Suzaku and Go-Reizei. In 1027, he succeeded his father Michinaga and acquired the Uji estate, and in 1052 he constructed the main hall and named it Byodoin.
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Heian period
The Heian period lasted for approximately 400 years between the transfer of the capital to Heian-kyo (present day Kyoto) by Emperor Kanmu in 794 and the foundation of the Kamakura Shogunate in 1185. The period is often divided into three sections: the Early, Mid- and Late Heian periods. In other words, the period of reviving the political system based on Ritsuryo codes, the regency period and the Insei period (governed by a retired emperor), respectively. (The end of the Late Heian period was ruled by the Taira clan.) Also referred to as the period of the Heian imperial court.
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Phoenix Hall
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Phoenix Hall
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Amida Buddha
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Amida Buddha
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Kannondo Hall
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Kannondo Hall
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Eleven-Headed Kannon
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Eleven-Headed Kannon
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Byodoin Garden
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Byodoin Garden
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