Kyoogokokuji Temple

Japanese: 教王護国寺 - きょうおうごこくじ

A Shingon Buddhist temple located in Kujo-cho, Minami-ku, Kyoto City, it is the head temple of the Toji sect. It was founded to the east of Rashomon in 796 when the capital was moved to Heian, and was called Toji in contrast to Sai-ji, and was also called Sa-dai-ji and Sa-dera. In 823, it was bestowed upon Kukai by Emperor Saga, and became the main training center for Esoteric Shingon Buddhism, with the name Kyoogokoku-ji. During the Kamakura period, Mongaku sought to enhance the prestige of the temple and restored the buildings. A fire in 1486 destroyed most of the temple, including the halls and pagodas, but it was rebuilt with the help of the Toyotomi and Tokugawa clans. The remaining buildings include the Kondo, lecture hall, five-story pagoda, Daishi-do hall, and Renge-mon gate, and many of them are national treasures. In addition, the museum houses many art and craft items designated as national treasures, such as the esoteric Buddhist statues in the lecture hall, other Buddhist sculptures such as the "Standing Tobatsu Bishamonten" and "Seated Acala," Buddhist paintings such as the "Statues of the Seven Shingon Patriarchs," "Ryokai Mandala," "Statues of the Twelve Devas," and "Statues of the Five Great Deities," esoteric Buddhist ritual implements said to have been used by Kukai in the future, arts and crafts such as the "Kandagokuito Kasaya" and "Kaifu Maki-e Kasaya Box," and calligraphy by Kukai (→Fushincho), as well as historical materials.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

京都市南区九条町にある真言宗の寺院で，東寺派の大本山。延暦 15 (796) 年平安遷都のとき羅生門の東に創建され，西寺に対して東寺といい，また左大寺，左寺と称する。弘仁 14 (823) 年嵯峨天皇から空海に賜わり，真言密教の根本道場となって教王護国寺と号した。鎌倉時代に文覚が寺威の高揚をはかり，堂舎を修復。文明 18 (1486) 年の火災で堂塔など大部分を焼失したが，豊臣氏，徳川氏の助力により再建。現存の建物は金堂，講堂，五重塔，大師堂，蓮花門などで，多くは国宝建造物。なお講堂の密教諸尊像，その他『兜跋 (とばつ) 毘沙門天立像』『不動明王坐像』などの仏像彫刻，『真言七祖像』『両界曼荼羅図』『十二天像』『五大尊像』などの仏画，伝空海将来の密教法具類，『犍陀穀糸袈裟』『海賦蒔絵袈裟箱』などの工芸品，空海の書 (→風信帖 ) など多数の国宝指定の美術工芸品，歴史的資料を収蔵する。

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