| b) Description and inventory | F. Daigo-ji Daigo-ji was designated as an imperial temple in 907. Daigo-ji comprises two precincts -- on the top of Mt. Daigo and on a level site at the foot of the western slope. Construction on the upper precinct began in 874 and construction on the lower site began in 904. The Gojunoto (five-storied pagoda), located on the lower site, was completed in 952. During the 15th century civil wars, Daigo-ji's power and influence declined, and the temple suffered the loss of most of its buildings to fire. Later, from the late 16th century to the early 17th century, several restorations were executed. The Kondo was moved and reconstructed, and the Gojunoto was repaired. The garden later known as the Sanpoin Teien was built, and the temple took on its present appearance. In the middle of the18th century, the Gojunoto was dismantled and repaired, and the Sanpoin-dendo (residential complex) underwent major repair. In the modern age, a number of buildings were either partially or totally dismantled and repaired; these include the Yakushido (Yakushi Buddha hall, 1907), the Kiyotakigu-haiden (worship hall, 1919), the Sanpoin-dendo (1927), the Kondo (main hall, 1929), and the Sanpoin-karamon (gate, 1936). In the period from 1954 to 1959, through dismantling and repair of the Gojunoto, the construction techniques of the 10th century were clarified and the pagoda was restored to its original style. In 1981, the stonework on the banks of the pond in the Sanpoin Teien was repaired. At present, six buildings -- the Yakushido and the Kiyotakigu-haiden on the top of the mountain, the Gojunoto, Kondo, Omote-shoin (reception hall) and Karamon (gate) of Sanpoin on the level site -- are designated as National Treasures, while the Sanpoin Teien is designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty. Ten other buildings are designated as Important Cultural Properties. The Yakushido (F5), constructed in 907, suffered serious deterioration over time and was reconstructed in 1121; the present building dates from that reconstruction. The Yakushido has a size of 5 bays on the front by 4 bays on the side, with a hipped-gabled style cypress-bark roof; it is built on a substructure made of rough, uncut stones. It shows the early style and scale of Buddhist buildings around the beginning of the Heian Period, before it became the custom to combine a worship space with the main hall sanctuary. The Kiyotakigu-haiden (F4), a worship hall of a guardian shrine of Daigo-ji, was first constructed in 1088 and was destroyed by fire in 1410. The existing buildings was reconstructed in 1434. The building is located on the south slope with the front facing the east side of the mountain. It measures 3 bays on the front by 7 bays on the side. The building is built as a tsumairi structure (i.e. with the entry on the gable end) on a kake-zukuri (platform style) base. The roof is made of cypress bark shingles in the hipped and gabled style, having a karahafu style kohai (space for worship, sheltered by a curved gable roof projection). This building retains the secular atmosphere of residential buildings. The Gojunoto (F1) completed in 952, is the oldest extant building in Kyoto. An orderly and majestic structure, with Buddhist images taken from Shingon mandalas painted on the interior surfaces of the first floor, it exhibits the essential characteristics of an esoteric Buddhist temple. Around the beginning of the 17th century, the Kondo (F2) was moved here from Mangan-ji in Kii Province. It measures 7 bays on the front and 5 bays on the side. The building has a hipped-gable style tiled roof, wood plank floors in the naijin (sanctuary), and a gejin (space for worship) that completely retains the style of Buddhist halls of the latter part of the Heian Period. The Sanpoin Omote-shoin (F10) and its garden (Fa) were expanded and remodeled by Toyotomi Hedeyoshi in preparation for a large-scale cherry blossom viewing party held here in 1598. The railing surrounding the porch of the Omote-shoin, along with the Izumi-dono (pond-side pavilion) at the south-west corner, combine to make the Sanpoin Omote-shoin an elegant building incorporating the shinden style of the Heian Period. The garden was constructed in a gorgeous style under Hedeyoshi's direct supervision. This garden style was a blend of the chisenkaiyu-siki (stroll garden with pond) and karesansui (dry landscape) garden types; here the main emphasis was placed on the design of the views from inside the building. The Karamon (F15), which used to be opened only when receiving messengers from the imperial court, is a cypress-bark roofed gate, with surfaces finished in black lacquer and gold leaf, featuring carvings of chrysanthemum and paulownia. The Karamon retains the extravagant design of the Momoyama Period. |
