jougyoudou　常行堂

KEY WORD :　architecture / buildings & structures

Also called jougyou sanmaidou 常行三昧堂. A hall where a devotee walks around a statue of the *Amida 阿弥陀 (Sk.Amitabha), while chanting his name and meditating, usually for ninety days. This practice is known as jougyouzanmai 常行三昧. Ennin 圓仁 (794-864), the third head priest at the Tendai 天台 sect temple at Enryakuji 延暦寺 on Mt. Hiei 比叡 in Shiga prefecture, built the first Jougyoudou in 851. The one now extant was built in 1595 and is connected to the *Hokkedou 法華堂 by a 6-bay corridor, 12.58m long, that stretches between the two bays that face each other at the inner rear sides of the buildings. Together they are called ninaidou 担堂. Both are 5×5 bays square (12.33×12.33m), have pyramidal roofs *hougyou-zukuri 宝形造, bracket complexes *tokyou 斗きょう, that are 3-on-1 and at right angles to each other *demitsudo 出三斗. The struts are capped with bearing blocks *kentozuka 間斗束, that are placed in between each strut. The rafters *taruki 垂木, are closely spaced and there are double eaves *futanoki 二軒. This hall enshrines a statue of the historical Buddha *Shaka 釈迦 (Sk. Sakyamuni) and the Lotus Sutra HOKEKYOU 法華経, which is recited during circumambulation. The only other extant pair of halls, known as Jougyou sanmaidou and Hokke sanmaidou, are at Rinnouji 輪王寺 (1619) in Tochigi prefecture.

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*sanmaidou 三昧堂

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