Sanjusangendo
Sanjusangendo Temple, meaning “the hall 33 ken long,” is the common name for the Buddhist temple Rengeo-in. The temple does not have much in the way of gardens, though there is some landscaping around the main building. The main feature if interest is the hall itself, which at 120 meters (almost 394 feet) is Japan’s longest wood building. The west veranda is used for archery contests which have been held annually since the Edo period. One of the largest archery contests is the Tōshiya archery contest at Sanjusangendo (三十三間堂の通し矢) that draws 100’s of beautifully attired contestants. The Tōshiya archery contest is held annually on the second Sunday in January.
Tōshiya archery contest at Sanjusangendo (三十三間堂の通し矢)
The temple was originally built in 1164 at the orders of Emperor Go-Shirakawa, and like much of Kyoto, was destroyed by fire. The main hall was rebuilt in 1266.
It contains a beautiful 1000-armed Kannon as its central figure, flanked by 1000 more, life-sized 1000-armed Kannon figures made of Japanese cypress. They are ranked in rows of 10, crating 50 columns down the length of the hall. 124 are from the original building, and the remaining 876 were made in the 13th century. There are also 28 guardian deities around the Kannons.
Though called 1000-armed Kannons, visitors might note that each one only has 42 arms. There are two regular arms, and 40 arms to help fight human suffering. Because there are 25 planes of existence, the arms would thus appear as 1000 in all the planes.
It is easy to reach Sanjusangendo by city bus # 100, 206, or 208. Get off at the Hakubutsukan/Sanjusangendo Mae stop. Hours are 8 am to 4 pm in the winter and 5 pm the rest of the year. The entrance fee is ¥600 for adults, ¥400 for junior high and high school students, and ¥300 for children. The official website is only in Japanese, but a good reference in English is: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3900.html
photo by:
erysimum9
