jinguuji　神宮寺

KEY WORD :　architecture / buildings & sturctures

Also called jingoji 神護寺, jinguu-in 神宮院, jinganji 神願寺, miyadera 宮寺, or bettouji 別当寺. Buddhist temples that were established on the grounds of Shinto shrines. Jinguu 神宮 (palace of the Gods) refers to a Shinto shrine, while ji 寺 means a Buddhist temple. From the Nara period to the Meiji period, there was a certain degree of amalgamation of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. The mixture of faiths became known as *honji suijaku 本地垂述. Since there are no extant remains of the original Buddhist temple buildings that were a part of the jinguuji plan, information is drawn from ancient drawings and old records. They show that there were several buildings that belonged to the temple, including a main hall called honjidou 本地堂, a pagoda, priests' quarters called *betsu-in 別院, a 2-storied gate with a corridor attached. The main priest was called shasou 社僧, a term which demonstrates his dual role: sha being a term Shito and sou a Buddhist priest. This arrangement flourished especially at Esoteric temples mikkyou jiin 密教寺院. Early known examples include: Kehi Jinguuji 気比神宮寺 constructed for Kehi Daijin 気比大神 in Fukui prefecture by Fujiwara Muchimaro 藤原武智麻呂 (680-737), a vassal of Emperor Genshou 元正 (680-748); Kashima Jinguuji 鹿島神宮寺 originally built between 749-756 by the priest Mangan 満願 in Ibaraki prefecture; Mangan was also responsible for the construction of Tado Jinguuji 多度神宮寺 (763) in Nara. Two rebuilt examples are Kamo Jinguuji 鴨神宮寺 in Kyoto, and Kasuga Taisha Jinguuji 春日大社神宮寺 in Nara.

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