Yamada Temple

This temple was located in Yamada, Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture. Its mountain name was Mount Taika. It was also called Jodo-ji Temple and Kegon-ji Temple. It belongs to the Hosso sect. It was founded at the request of Soga no Kurayamada Ishikawa no Maro. It was built in competition with Toyoura-dera Temple built by Soga no Emishi and Kudara-daiji Temple built by Emperor Jomei for beauty. Construction began in 641 (the 13th year of Emperor Jomei's reign), and the main hall was completed two years later, but the Minister of the Right, Ishikawa Maro, was found guilty of a crime he did not commit and committed suicide in front of the main hall along with his entire family. The false accusation was later cleared, and construction continued until it was completed in 663 (the 2nd year of Emperor Tenchi), and a ceremony to consecrate the principal image, a Joroku statue, was held in 684. In 1187 (Bun'ei 3), the temple was burned down by robbers from Kofuku-ji Temple. The bronze Buddha head (a national treasure) currently housed at Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara was originally the principal image of the Yamada-dera lecture hall, but it was seized by the monks at this time, and in 1411 (Oei 18) a fire broke out, with only the head remaining. During the Kenkyu era (1190-11999), the temple fell into disrepair and was abandoned. The layout of the temple complex is in the one-tower-one-main hall style, which was the Asuka-dera style with the omission of the east and west main halls, a style common to temples of the Sui and Tang dynasties. During excavation of the temple site in 1976, a part of the corridor was discovered, still collapsed, providing a wealth of information about ancient temple architecture. Many of the roof tiles excavated were round tiles with single petals and eight-petaled lotus motifs, known as Yamada-dera style. The temple site is a special historic site.

[Michio Sato]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

奈良県桜井市山田にあった寺。山号は大化山。浄土(じょうど)寺、華厳(けごん)寺とも称した。法相(ほっそう)宗に属する。蘇我倉山田石川麻呂(そがのくらやまだのいしかわのまろ)の発願によって創建。蘇我蝦夷(えみし)による豊浦寺(とゆらでら)や舒明(じょめい)天皇の百済(くだら)大寺などと妍(けん)を競って造営された。641年（舒明天皇13）着工し、2年後には金堂が完成したが、右大臣石川麻呂が無実の罪を得て金堂前で一族もろとも自殺した。その後、冤罪(えんざい)は晴れ、造営は継続されて、663年（天智天皇2）竣工(しゅんこう)、684年本尊丈六像の開眼供養が挙行された。1187年（文治3）興福寺衆徒の強奪により堂塔を焼亡。現在、奈良興福寺に蔵する銅造仏頭（国宝）はもと山田寺講堂本尊であったが、このとき衆徒に奪取され、1411年（応永18）火災にあい頭部だけが残った。建久(けんきゅう)年間（1190～99）には荒廃し、廃寺となった。伽藍(がらん)配置は飛鳥寺(あすかでら)式から東西両金堂を省いた形式の一塔一金堂式で、隋(ずい)唐の寺院に共通する形式であった。1976年（昭和51）寺跡発掘調査の際、回廊の一部が倒壊したまま出現し、古代寺院建築について多くの資料を提供した。出土した瓦(かわら)は単弁八葉蓮華文軒丸瓦(れんげもんのきまるがわら)が多く、山田寺式とよばれる。寺跡は特別史跡。

［里道徳雄］

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