Toji Temple, Minami-Ku, Kyoto-shi - Nishikujonandencho. Shingon Buddhist temple founded in 796. Toji has the tallest pagoda at 57 meters tall.
Tō-ji is a Shingon Buddhist temple in the Minami-ku ward of Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 796, it was one of the only three Buddhist temples allowed in the city at the time it became the capital of Japan. Toji Temple (東寺, Tōji), literally "East Temple", was founded at the beginning of the Heian Period just after the capital was moved to Kyoto in the late 700s. The large temple, together with its now defunct sister temple Saiji ("West Temple"), flanked the south entrance to the city and served as the capital's guardian temples. Toji Temple is one of Kyoto's many UNESCO world heritage sites. About thirty years after the temple's establishment, Kobo Daishi, the founder of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism, was appointed head priest of Toji, and the temple became one of the most important Shingon temples besides the sect's headquarters on Mount Koya. Kobo Daishi also added many of the large wooden buildings that stand on the grounds today. The five-storied Pagoda (五重塔 gojūnotō) of Tō-ji dates from 1643 (Edo period), when it was rebuilt by order of the third Tokugawa Shōgun, Iemitsu. The original pagoda was built in the 9th century, but it was destroyed and rebuilt four times before reaching its current state. It was designated a National Treasure in 1952.[4] The pagoda stands meters (180 feet) high, and is the tallest wooden tower in Japan. Entrance into the pagoda itself is permitted only on special occasions, but it is usually open and the interior can be seen from the outside. It houses relics, sculptures and paintings. At ground level there are statues of four Buddhas facing different directions.
Size: 4032px × 3024px
Location: Toni Temple, Minami-Ku, Kyoto-shi - NishikujonandenchoJapan
Photo credit: © Christina Pritchard / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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