Prayer Hall - Kinenden

Japanese: 祈年殿 - きねんでん

… The existing Temple of Heaven in Beijing was built in the early Ming Dynasty as a hall for the worship of heaven and earth. In the Jiajing period (1522-66), the system of worship was abolished and a circular mound was built. The Qing Dynasty succeeded this and expanded it in the Qianlong period (1736-95). Although it has since been burned and rebuilt, it still retains the scale and form of the temple from the time of Qianlong. It is made up of a group of buildings including a three-tiered white stone terrace called a circular mound, where the emperor worshiped heaven himself on the winter solstice every year, a hall for praying for a good harvest every spring, an imperial sphere, and a shrine. The Temple of Heaven was originally located in the southern outskirts of the city (later becoming part of the outer city), and a temple was built in the northern outskirts. The former was a circular altar with three tiers, and the latter a square altar with two tiers, depicting the heavens, the earth, and the yang and yin. …

From the Temple of Heaven

...The Temple of Heaven that exists today in Beijing is where the Ming and Qing emperors performed the rites of worshiping heaven. In 1420 (Yongle 18) of the Ming Dynasty, the Great Hall of the Deity of Heaven and Earth was built in the southern suburbs. In 1530 (Jiajing 9), the system of separate deities for the four suburbs was changed to a new circular mound and in 1538, the Great Xiang Hall was built. It was further expanded and improved during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty (1736-95), and in 1751 (Qianlong 16), it was renamed the Praying Year Hall. It was burned down in 1889 (Guangxu 15), but was rebuilt according to its original state, and its current state is almost the same as it was during the Qianlong period (Figure 1, Figure 2). The Praying Year Hall, the Huangqiuyu, and the circular mound are aligned on a north-south axis, and are connected by a large road made of bricks. ...

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

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…　現存する北京の天壇は，明代初期に天地合祀の殿として創建され，嘉靖年間(1522‐66)に合祀制を廃して圜丘が築かれ，清朝もこれをうけつぎ乾隆年間(1736‐95)に拡張整備を行ったもので，その後の焼失，再建を経ているが，乾隆当時の規模，形式を伝えている。皇帝が毎年冬至にみずから天をまつる，圜丘と称する白石3成の露壇のほか，毎春に五穀の豊饒を祈願する祈年殿や，皇穹宇，斎宮などの建築群で構成されている。天壇は，当初は城外の南郊に位置し(のちに外城内となる)，北郊には地壇が設けられ，前者が3成の円壇，後者が2成の方壇で，天円地方および陽陰をかたどった。…

【天壇】より

…北京に現存する天壇は，明･清両朝皇帝が祭天の儀を行ったところで，明の1420年(永楽18)に当時の南郊に天地合祀の大祀殿が創建され，1530年(嘉靖9)，四郊分祀の制に改めて圜丘を新築，38年大享殿を新築した。さらに清の乾隆年間(1736‐95)に拡張･整備が行われ，1751年(乾隆16)に祈年殿と改められ，1889年(光緒15)に焼失はしたが旧状に従って再建されており，現状はほぼ乾隆当時の状況を伝えている(図1，図2)。祈年殿，皇穹宇（こうきゆうう），圜丘が南北軸線上に並び，その間を塼（せん）積みの大道で結ぶ。…

※「祈年殿」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

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