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Byodoin Temple

The National Treasure Phoenix Hall

Byodo-in was the former villa of the Yorimichi family from the Heian period, it is located along the Uji River in Kyoto. The Phoenix Hall in the Byodo-in, built in 1053, is one of the few remaining Heian-era buildings in Japan and is considered a national treasure.

In 1052, Yorimichi Fujiwara 藤原頼通, who was then known as Sekihaku, inherited a villa from his father, Michinaga Fujiwara 藤原道長, and transformed it into a Buddhist temple named Byodo-in 平等院.

Phoenix Hall 鳳凰堂 is the centerpiece of the Byodo-in Temple, which was built in the first year of the Tenki era (1053) and is one of the few surviving Heian period buildings in Japan. The Phoenix Hall was built on a small island in Aji-ike Pond within the grounds of the Byodo-in Temple, and is a true reflection of the Buddhist Pure Land.

The Phoenix Hall is composed of a central hall, wing corridors on both sides, and a rear porch at the back, and its shape is very much like a Soaring Phoenix, hence the name Phoenix Hall. The image of the Phoenix Hall and its reflection in the pond is often seen in Japanese media, most notably on the back of the 10-yen coin.

Manywhere Trivia:
The Phoenix Hall is considered to be the most beautiful ancient architecture in all of Japan, so it has been copied all over the world. There is an identical one in Oahu, Hawaii, also named Byodo-in. Hong Kong’s Chi Lin Nunnery 志蓮淨苑 and Shanghai’s Baoshan Temple copied the Hall, too.

In addition to the 1,000-year-old Phoenix Hall, the statue of Amida Buddha, the Temple Bell, the praying Bodhisattva on Clouds, the Canopy, the paintings on the door and walls of Cho-do Hall of Phoenix Hall were designated as National Treasures. In order to protect and display these cultural relics, a glass-walled Hoshokan Museum was opened in 2001. The museum has a collection of eleven standing statues of Kannon, statues of Emperor Sakra 帝釈天, Brahma Bell and other precious relics, as well as a pair of Gilt Bronze Phoenixes that once stood on the roof of the Phoenix Hall.

The Gilt Bronze Phoenix from the rooftop of Phoenix Hall

In addition, there are other sub-temples such as Jodo-in and Saisho-in. The Tomb of Minamoto Yorimasa 源頼政 inside Saisho-in was erected by posterity to commemorate this Genji warrior who fought against another powerful Japanese family, the Taira clan, in Uji 宇治, Kyoto. After his defeat, Yorimasa committed suicide in Jodo-in.