Some people may know Hiba wood as a raw material for essential oil, but Hiba is also an excellent wood and is used in various historical buildings such as Ise Grand Shrine and Hirosaki Castle. Among them, Chusonji Konjikido, which is registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site, is a typical building made of cypress wood. This time, I would like to take another look at Chusonji Konjikido.
History of Chusonji Konjikido <br>First of all, the temple Chusonji was opened by a monk named Ennin in 850 AD during the early Heian period. At this time, the Golden Hall had not yet been built.
About 200 years later, the Oshu Fujiwara clan was born. The Oshu Fujiwara clan flourished over three generations. Fujiwara Kiyohira, the first head of the company, held a memorial service in 1124 at the end of the Heian period to hold a memorial service for those who died in the large-scale battles known as the ``Zen-nen-no-war'' and ``Go-san-nen-war.'' The Golden Temple was built.
Highlights of Konjiki-do ① Amida-do that shines in gold <br>As it is called Konjiki-do, the inside and outside of the hall is decorated with gold leaf, giving it a majestic beauty. In addition, there are decorative items such as mother-of-pearl work made of luminous white shells, ivory, and lacquer lacquer, making the entire hall look like a work of art. For this reason, Konjikido is also called ``the greatest treasure trove of Heian Buddhist art in eastern Japan.''
Highlights of Konjikido ② Too many Buddha statues <br>Amitabha Tathagata is enshrined in the center of the pedestal called Shumidan in the hall, and on either side of it are Kannon Seishi Bodhisattva, six His body is accompanied by Jizo Bodhisattva, Jikokuten, and Zochoten. The composition of this type of Buddhist statue is said to be rare. The remains of the four generations of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, including Kiyohira, who built the Konjikido, are still enshrined in this Shumidan.
The reason why this national treasure was so well preserved may be thanks to cypress wood. Konjikido, which has many attractions, is made of cypress wood for 93% (*) of its entire building. The Hiba tree has the power to resist moisture and insects, and it can be said that the reason Konjikido is still able to exist today is thanks to Hiba's excellent properties.
Chusonji is a place you've probably heard of at least once. If you look again, you will discover many things.
*Source: Chusonji homepage