Phoenix Hall of Byodo-in in Uji Kyoto on a cold winter morning
Byōdō-in (平等院) is a Buddhist temple in the city of Uji in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It is jointly a temple of the Jōdo-shū (Pure Land) and Tendai-shū sects. The Phoenix Hall, completed in 1053, is the exemplar of Fujiwara Amida halls. It consists of a main rectangular structure flanked by two L-shaped wing corridors and a tail corridor, set at the edge of a large artificial pond. Though its official name is Amida-dō, it began to be called Hōō-dō, or Phoenix Hall, in the beginning of the Edo period. This name is considered to derive both from the building's likeness to a phoenix with outstretched wings and a tail, and the pair of phoenixes adorning the roof. Whilst the other buildings in the temple complex were repeatedly lost to fires and other events, the Phoenix Hall was never destroyed. It is one of the few remaining original wooden structures to survive from the Heian Period. It is so famous and well regarded in Japan that it is featured on the back of the Japanese 10-yen coin.
Size: 4000px × 2248px
Location: Oridai 3 Chome, Uji-shi, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Photo credit: © Moonie's World Photography / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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