1000 Buddhist statues in a hall
City : Kyoto
Sanjusangen-do is a Buddhist temple near Kyoto station. A view of 1000 wooden statues of Kannon Bodhisattva is impressive.
The original building was founded by the 77th Japanese Emperor Goshirakawa in 1164. He was a devotee of Kannon Bodhisattva and filled the hall with 1001 Kannon statues. Eighty years later, a fire burnt down everything, but Emperor Gosaga rebuilt them in 1266.
Sanjusangen-do literally means "a hall of thirty-three bays". The wooden hall is 120 meter long and 22 meter wide, which is supported by pillars with 33 intervals. The number 33 is derived from the belief that Kannon Bodhisattva saves all mankind by transform himself into 33 different figures.
Inside the hall, 1001 Kannon are placed on a tiered stand and the largest Kannon sits in the center and thirty deity images stand in front of them. They were produced by the best sculptors in 13 century mainly led by the master Tankei.
In forming the statues, a technique called 'Yosegi-zukuri' was applied. Many pieces of wood are jointed, the surface was carved and finished with color, lacquer or gold leaf.
Each Kannon has 20 pairs of arms, and an eye is depicted on each palm (seen only on open palms). It is believed that each eye can see 25 worlds, so 40 eyes on a Kannon see 1000 worlds, which represents the mercy of Kannon who save people in 1000 worlds.
There are no two identical Kannon statues and it is said that you can find the face of a loved one among them. Just waking the length of the hall takes few minutes but many people stay longer by stopping at one Kannon and gaze on it.
Photographing with or without a flash is not allowed in the hall.
Admission : Y600
Hours : 8 am. to 4:30 pm. (5 pm.out) / 9 am. to 3:30 pm. (4pm.out) between Nov.16 and Mar.31, , no closing day.
Access: From Kyoto station, take the City Bus number 100, 206 or 208 to Hakubutsukan Sanjusangen-do Mae. Taxi ride on the same route costs less than 1000 yen, so if you want to avoid seeing a driver offensive, catch a running taxi instead of one waiting at the station. Alternatively, walking is possible. It's about 1.3 km. / From Kawaramachi, take Keihan Railway between Gion-Shijo and Shichijo. From Gion, take a bus #100 or 206.
Website : http://sanjusangendo.jp/index.html
Map
