Tachibana Temple

A temple in Asuka Village, Takaichi County, Nara Prefecture. It is commonly known as Butsudan Jogūin Bodaiji Temple. It belongs to the Tendai sect. It is said to be the birthplace of Prince Shotoku, and was founded in 606 (the 14th year of the reign of Empress Suiko) in honor of the miraculous event of lotus flowers raining down from the heavens when Prince Shotoku lectured on the Sacred Wish Sutra for Empress Suiko. It is counted as one of the seven temples built by Prince Shotoku, and at its peak it was equipped with various halls and had many treasures, but it was damaged in 681 (the 10th year of the reign of Emperor Tenmu), and fell into particular decline during the Middle Ages, and it was not until 1864 (the 1st year of the Genji era) that the current buildings were finally restored.

During the Jōryaku era (1077-81), the temple's treasures, including the Tamamushi Shrine and 48 gilt bronze Buddha statues, were moved to Horyu-ji Temple by imperial decree. Within the temple grounds (historic site), the foundation stones of the tower remain beside the approach to the temple, and a stone statue known as the Two-Faced Stone is located to the left of the Prince's Hall. There are also many cultural assets, including a wooden statue from the early Heian period known as the Nichira statue, and the Prince's Illustrated Biography by Tosa Mitsunobu, both of which have been designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan.

[Takaaki Wakabayashi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

奈良県高市(たかいち)郡明日香(あすか)村にある寺。仏頭山上宮院菩提寺(ぼだいじ)の俗称。天台宗に属する。聖徳太子誕生地と伝えられ、606年（推古天皇14）聖徳太子が推古天皇のために『勝鬘経(しょうまんぎょう)』を講ぜられたとき、天から蓮華(れんげ)を降らせた奇瑞(きずい)にちなんで創建されたといわれる。聖徳太子建立七か寺の一つに数えられ、盛時には諸堂完備し、宝物も多くあったが、681年（天武天皇10）被災、中世はことに衰え、1864年（元治1）ようやく現在の堂宇を復興した。

　承暦(じょうりゃく)年間（1077～81）宣旨により寺宝の玉虫厨子(たまむしずし)、金銅四十八体仏などを法隆寺に移した。境内（史跡）には参道わきに塔礎石が残り、二面石とよばれる石像が太子殿の左方にある。文化財も多く、日羅(にちら)像といわれる平安初期の木像、土佐光信(みつのぶ)筆という『太子絵伝』などが国の重要文化財に指定されている。

［若林隆光］

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