Onrindou　園林堂

KEY WORD :　architecture / buildings & structures

A small, 2×21/2 bay private Buddhist hall (1685?) at Katsura Rikyuu 桂離宮, Kyoto. The hall has a tiled roof *hongawarabuki 本瓦葺, that is in the pyramidal style *hougyou yane 宝形屋根, but is curved convexly *mukuriyane 起屋根. The overall style of the building is totally unrelated to the shoin style *shoin-zukuri 書院造, or to the main buildings or the tea ceremony houses *chashitsu 茶室. The roof of the Onrindou is crowned, like some temple buildings, with a box-like cover *roban 露盤, placed over the apex of the pyramidal roof surmounted by an inverted bowl-like fixture with an undecorated, onion-jewel form *houju 宝珠, added. The step-canopy *kouhai 向拝, terminates in an elaborate undulating bargeboard *karahafu 唐破風. The entrance is directly above the steps. The gable is supported by two chamfered posts, painted red, with boat-shaped bracket arms *funahijiki 舟肘木, set on top of the posts. At the entrance are Chinese style paneled doors, opening outward from the center. The interior has a plank floor. Windows *katoumado 火灯窓, with ogee-type scrolled tops and slanted sides that broaden at the base, are called yaburegata 破形. A Buddhist altar *butsudan 仏壇, is at the back of the hall and behind it are four sliding screens *shouji 障子, with a rough, yellowish green linen cloth covering them. The main images enshrined here are painted images of *Youryuu Kannon 揚柳観音. The Onrindou can be thought of as a founders hall, Kaisandou 開山堂, because it has memorial tablets and painted images of all the princes connected with the Katsura Rikyuu. There is also a letter from Hosokawa Yuusai 細川幽斎 (1534-1610) preserved in the Onrindou. He was the teacher of the first Prince, Toshihito 智仁 (1579-1629), to stay at Katsura. The building's name derives from the calligraphy of the retired Emperor Gomizunoo 後水尾 (1611-29) who wrote "Onrin". This is framed and kept in the building.

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*jibutsudou 持仏堂

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