The debate over whether or not to rebuild Horyu-ji Temple

Japanese: 法隆寺再建非再建論争 - ほうりゅうじさいこんひさいこんろんそう

A debate over whether the main hall, pagoda, inner gate, and corridor of the Western Precinct of Horyu-ji Temple were built during the reign of Empress Suiko in the early 7th century, or whether they were burned down and rebuilt. As the temple is the oldest structure in Japan, this debate has been going on for half a century since the end of the 19th century among experts in architecture, art, Japanese history, and archaeology. As early as 1899, Kurokawa Mayori (1829-1906) and Kosugi Sugimura (1834-1910) put forward the theory that, based on the article in the Nihon Shoki about the burning of Horyuji Temple for April in the 9th year of the Tenchi era (670), the original Horyuji Temple was burned down in the same year, and that the current Western Precincts were rebuilt during the Wadō era (708-715).However, in 1905, Sekino Tadasu (1867-1935) and Hirako Takurei (1877-1911) argued that it was not rebuilt, while Kida Sadakichi (1871-1939) argued that it was rebuilt, and the first debate began.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

法隆寺西院伽藍の金堂，塔，中門，回廊が7世紀初めの推古朝創建の建造物であるか，あるいは一度焼亡して再建されたものであるのかについての論争。同伽藍が日本最古の建造物であることから，建築史，美術史，日本史，考古学の諸家によって19世紀末から半世紀にわたって論争された。すでに早く1899年黒川真頼（まより）(1829‐1906)と小杉榲邨（すぎむら）(1834‐1910)が《日本書紀》天智9年(670)4月条の法隆寺全焼の記事によって，創建法隆寺は同年に焼亡し，現在の西院伽藍は和銅年間(708‐715)に再建したものという説を唱えたが，1905年関野貞（ただす）(1867‐1935)と平子鐸嶺（たくれい）(1877‐1911)が非再建説，喜田貞吉(1871‐1939)が再建説をそれぞれ主張して第1次論争が行われた。

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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