Essay on Yakushi-ji Temple

There are several shrines and temples in Japan that are located in an area that is known as Kansai, specifically in two cities, Kyoto and Nara that are known to be the oldest in Japan. One of the ancient and the greatest historical sites that are known in Japan is one the temple that is famously known as the Yakushi-ji Temple. The temple is mainly used by a specific group of the Buddhist that is known as the Hosso school. This temple is not only popular in Japan but also for those who travel frequently in the country to see it. Yakushi-ji Temple was dedicated earlier to a medicine Buddha, Yakushi Nyorai. The temple is multifaceted as someone can visit several other halls that are located inside it. The halls include West and East Pagodas , Toindo, the main hall also known as Kondo and the lecture hall known as the Kodo. All these halls are important to all the aspects the Buddhists have. There are several statues that can be viewed in the main hall. The statues are of Nikko, Yakushi Nyorai, and Gakko (Kidder & Edward). The statues were initially covered in gold but now they are blackened since the event of the fire accident in the temple, the temple was frequently being attacked during natural disasters and wars. There are several artwork and masterpieces in the temple that is kept inside the Higashisobo. This is where people can pick souvenirs and carry back home.

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Development of Yakushi-ji Temple over Time

The main center for religious evolution and the secular architecture was Kyoto. This was back then in the period between the 8th and the 17th century. Kyoto center was important since it played a decisive role in the making of Japanese culture and traditions, especially in the gardens thus creating a profound effect on the world starting from the 19th century. Buddhism having been introduced at that time, it was found to have a propounding effect on the Japanese culture. this actually happened when the capital was shifted from Nara to Kyoto in AD 794. The way the city was planned and modeled was mainly of China model cities such as the capital of China, Changshan. Changshan was the center of aristocracy and emperor building and it was for about four centuries. Actually, this period banned the existence of Buddhist temples to be in the city except two temples known as Sai-ji and To-ji.

The Yakushi temple has a long history and it started to exist in the period where it was not accepted in the center of the city. it mostly originated from the time where the temples were constructed from simple architecture and later the buildings became strong and permanent. the period where the temple construction began is known as the Heian period during the rule of Emperor Nara (Ho & Puaypeng, 2011).

The early Heian period is presented by the following temples and shrines; Enryaku-ji, Amomioya-jinja, Kiyornim-dera, Kyo-o-gokoku-ji and Karmwakeikauchi-jinja. All these include some temples which were for the Buddhists and shrines that were used by the Shinto. Towards the end of the Heian period, the military class known as the Samurai was growing which led to the need of increasing the religious favors. byodo-in, a Buddhist temple was actually dated in this period. In 1885, there was a civil war that forced the Samurai to construct its regime in Kamakum, leaving the imperial court at its earlier location, Kyoto. There were several architectural designs in this period that came to an end when a building known as Muromachi Shogunate was constructed. This period too, was when many large temples were constructed both inside and out of the imperial courts (Young, David & Michiko,2012).

In the 14th century, there was the construction of buildings known as villas by the Muromachi Shogunate, these villas later became Buddhist temples. A later Shogun villa was later converted into a temple. Garden designs at that time were pure art and it had several representations. Kyoto was destroyed and left in a bad state during the Onin war, but later, it was rebuilt. There came political stability and more Buddhist temples began their construction.

In 710, Heijo-Kyo was made the capital of Japan, it was later renamed, Nara. Its location made the Japanese to access the culture of the china. The architecture, culture and religious beliefs of the people in Nara soon blended with that of China. This made Nara become a Buddhism grand diocese and become a home to many shrines and temples. Yakushi-ji is the temple that is still ancient in Japan. Most of the Yakushi-ji history is actually based on a legend.

Towards the end of the 7th century, Yakushi-ji temple construction was planned by an Emperor at that time who is known as Temmu. It was mainly built for prayer purposes most important to pray for his ailing Empress (Kulasuriya & Chandana, 2010) . The temple took a long time to be constructed and during that time, Temmu died making his Empress to succeed him. The building layout comprises of a main hall, a lecture hall and west and east pagidas. Actually, the Yakushi-ji temple had been burnt severally by fires during wars with the largest damage caused in the year 1528 during the civil war. Yakushi is among the seven largest temples that are located in Nara, and also the head temple in the Buddhist sector.

Uses of Yakushi-ji Temple

Buddhist is a type of a religion that mostly uses temples and shrines to worship their gods. This religion is found in Indians, Chinese, Japanese and Koreans. This religion helps them to find their peace, happiness, and satisfaction in what they are seeking for. The development of virtues such as peace and kindness makes them be harmless to others. Yakushi-ji is one ancient temple that is used by the Buddhists.

There are some images that are worshiped in the Yakushi-ji temple. Such images were influenced to be worshiped before the civilization of the ancient Greek. The images were worshiped by the ancient Greeks just as the Buddhists worship them today. The Buddha, the image which is being worshiped is constructed in a unique way. The shape of its foot is flat and it has Horin that is engraved on its feet (Kulasuriya & Chandana, 2010).

The Bossoku-seki is used as a national treasure by Buddhist as a national treasury. This is a tablet that is the oldest in Japan. It has twenty-one verses that praise Bussoku that are normally read during special events. These verses composition are in a special style with each verse consisting of a particular number of letters. These were sung and are still sung by people during the religious services or practices of worshipping. These verses are of significance to the Japanese literature (Young, David & Michiko,2012).

There are several shrines that are used for sacrificial purposes in the Yakushi-ji temple, others are used for conservation of arts and masterpieces. There are wooden sculptures of gods and empresses that are honored by the people (Kidder & Edward). A lecture hall known as Kodo is used for various religious services. The hall has religious important objects that are used on the eight days in each month in Buddhist services.

The Yakushi-ji temple has a meaningful purpose to the Buddhists, besides being a place where people worship, other purposes it serves is to help people in residing while at the same time it is preserving its ancient traditions of Buddhism. The maintenance of the traditional aspects in the temple is an appealing factor to the community around. By helping people, they provide basement rooms that are given to people who want to pray and fast. Others conduct private services during several occasions. This characteristic attracts many who join the Buddhist in their worship. The temples served as the centers where the Buddhists stayed. They were considered sacred alongside the god statues that were found in that place. people would come to the temples to meditate, offer their gods gifts and also attend the holy ceremonies

The Yakushi-ji temple also acts as a hall for the gathering of people in ceremonies. A class to the young Buddhists who want to become devoted in the future and also a place where Buddhists working for their spend their time working for the gods. Yakushi-ji temple is a wonderful place to be. You can find that people from all over the world come to this place to view the uniqueness in the construction of the building. The view from the hall is wonderful and you will see beautiful hills thats creates a good scenery. There are several arts and souvenirs that a tourist might carry to remember that once he or she was in a wonderful place.

Conclusion

The Yakushi-ji temple is an ancient temple that is still valued in the Buddhist society. it is mostly used by the Japanese, Koreans, Chinese and Japanese Buddhists. Its existence had many challenges and at last, it was constructed in honor of a medicine man and also made to be the major center for worship. It is where most of the religious activities are performed and the best part is that it welcomes all people, despite their religion, to view their wonderful architectural styles, garden designs, art, sculptures, and masterpieces that are found within it. The Yakushi-ji temple will forever remain a treasured ancient construction to the Buddhist community. The temple is of great importance in the society as it reminds the people of their past escapades and experiences in the ancient days. Its a very attractive site that brings people from all over the world to view. Worth noting is also the fact that Yakushi-ji Temple is one of the most recognized and highly talked of in the global village. This is because it preserves the ancient traditions and cultures of the Buddhist.

Works Cited

Ho, Puaypeng. "The Four Great Temples: Buddhist Archaeology, Architecture, and Icons of Seventh-Century Japan. By Donald F. McCallum." (2011): 532-535.

Kidder Jr, J. Edward. "The Vicissitudes of the Miroku Triad in the Lecture Hall of Yakushi-ji Temple."

Kulasuriya, Chandana. "Development and evaluation of the aesthetics of structural form." (2011).

Young, David, and Michiko Young. The art of Japanese architecture. Tuttle Publishing, 2012.