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The mandala of the Kodo Hall and the living quarters of the Jikido Hall |
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All the structures at Toji Temple were constructed within an area which is almost square, measuring 255 meters from east to west by 285 meters from north to south. Located on the north side of the Kondo Hall, the Kodo Hall is situated at the center of this square; that is, at the center of the temple, and it is considered the building most central to representing the esoteric Shingon Buddhism Kobo Daishi wanted to transmit down the ages. The mandala at the Kodo Hall are considered to show the teachings of the Shingon sect in an easily understood form. Kobo Daishi built Toji Temple so that the temple itself is a mandala and the Kodo Hall represents Dainichinyorai at the center, surrounded by twenty one revered Buddhas, reflecting the belief of the Shingon sect that Dainichinyorai is the center of the universe. When the construction was completed in 839, there was a corridor, or walkway. connecting the Kondo Hall and the Kodo Hall. The temple was burned down in 1486, but since Kobo Daishi had considered the Kodo Hall so important, making it the center of the mandala, it was given priority for reconstruction five years after the fire, before the Kondo Hall and the Nandaimon Gate. Now, the Kodo Hall is designated an important cultural property. The living quarters of the monks at the temple and the area where visitors to the temple may offer their prayers are located on the north side of the Kodo Hall. The correct name for this structure is "Jikido Hall," rather than "Shokudo Hall", ("dining hall"), which is the common reading of the Chinese characters. This structure was built in the Heian Period, and when Ashikaga Takauji made Toji Temple his base of operations, he sometimes lived in this building. After a fire in the Showa Period, the present building was rebuilt in 1933. As it was once dedicated to Senju Kannon Bodhisattva, it is also known as the "Kannondo Hall" or the "Senjudo Hall." |
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| Kodo Hall |
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| Kodo Hall |
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| Jikido Hall |
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