Inner quarters - Uchihojo

...In China, it was believed that the residence of the Indian lay Buddhist Vimalakirti was 10 shaku (about 3m) square (slightly larger than a four-and-a-half-tatami room), so the Buddhist's small hermitage or enchanted land was called hojo (Hojoki) (Kamo no Chomei). The Great Song Five Mountains Map describes the Zenjo (Ro-ne) and Uchi-hojo (Ko-ne), and the elder abbot taught the disciples in the Ro-ne, and Ko-ne was the abbot's permanent residence. As a result, in Japanese Zen temples, the main temple's hojo (Zenjo and Uchi-hojo) was placed at the very back of the central temple complex as a guest hall, and was distinguished from the hojo of the subtemple (Tatsuchu). ...

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "Uchihojo" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…インドの在家仏徒である維摩詰(ビマラキールティVimalakīrti)の居庵が1丈(10尺，約3m)四方(四畳半よりわずかに広い)と中国で信じられていたことから，仏徒の小庵や仙境を方丈と呼んだ(鴨長明《方丈記》)。《大宋五山図》に前方丈(路寝)と内方丈(小寝)が記され，路寝では長老住持が接衆教化を行い，小寝は住持常住所とされた。これにより日本の禅寺では中心伽藍の最奥に客殿として本山方丈(前方丈と内方丈)を置き，塔頭（たつちゆう）の方丈と区別した。…

※「内方丈」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報