Takkoku-no-Iwaya

Takkoku-no-Iwaya (達谷窟) is a Tendai sect Buddhist temple in Hiraizumi in southern Iwate Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. Its main image is a stone image of Bishamon-ten. Its formal name is the Takkoku no Iwaya Bishamon-do (達谷窟毘沙門堂). The grounds have been designated a National Historic Site since 2005[1]

Takkoku-no-Iwaya
達谷窟
Takkoku no Iwaya
Religion
AffiliationBuddhist
DeityBishamon-ten
RiteTendai
Statusfunctional
Location
CountryJapan
Shown within Iwate Prefecture
Takkoku-no-Iwaya (Japan)
Geographic coordinates38°58′08″N 141°03′29″E
Architecture
FounderSakanoue no Tamuramaro
Completed801 AD
Website
Official website

Overview

Takkoku no Iwaya is located approximately six kilometers southwest of Hiraizumi, between the center of town and Genbikei ravine. The temple is built below an overhanging cliff, and incorporates a shallow cave containing a bas-relief statue of Bishamon-ten. In the Heian period, a large statue of Fudō Myōō (designated an Iwate Prefectural Cultural Property) and a bas-relief image of Buddha carved into the rock face were added.

The temple claims to have been founded by the Yamato Chinjufu-shōgun Sakanoue no Tamuramaro in 801 AD to commemorate his victory over the local Emishi tribes, who had used this cave as a fortification. The temple was described in the Kamakura period chronicle, Azuma Kagami.

The temple has burned down many times and its original form is unknown today; the current building dates from 1961 and was modeled after the famous Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto.

Takkoku-no-Iwaya was included in the original 2006 nomination of "Hiraizumi - Cultural Landscape Associated with Pure Land Buddhist Cosmology”,[2] but was removed from the nomination after the failure to secure inscription in 2008; although there are continuing efforts to secure its inclusion through future extension.[3][4]

See also

References
  1. "達谷窟" [Takkoku-no-Iwaya]. Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  2. 世界遺産の概要 [World Heritage Site: summary] (in Japanese). Iwate Prefecture. Archived from the original on 17 May 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  3. "Report on the 35th World Heritage Committee Session Decision Results for: "Hiraizumi- Temples, Gardens and Archaeological Sites Representing the Buddhist Pure Land"". Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  4. Corkill, Edan (18 June 2011). "Temple hopes for UNESCO nod and big cheer for Iwate". The Japan Times. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  • For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the Glossary of Japanese Buddhism.

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