shichidou garan　七堂伽藍

KEY WORD :　architecture / buildings & structures

The seven principal buildings considered, necessary for a Buddhist temple from the 7c-12c. They include: the main image hall, *kondou 金堂, pagoda, *tou 塔; lecture hall, *koudou 講堂; belfry, *shourou 鐘楼; sutra storage, *kyouzou 経蔵; priests' quarters, *soubou 僧坊; and refectory, *jikidou 食堂. However, the expression shichidou might have referred to a finished building and shitsudou 悉堂 may have carried the nuance of a truly perfect hall. The seven main buildings erected at Zen 禅 sect temples from 12c on were: the main hall, *butsuden 仏殿; the lecture hall, *hattou 法堂; the principal gate, *sanmon 三門; the kitchen building, often housing the administrative offices and living accommodations for some monks, *kuri 庫裏; meditation hall *zendou 禅堂 also called soudou 僧堂; bathhouse, yokushitsu 浴室; and toilet facilities, *tousu 東司.

REFERENCES:

*garan 伽藍, *garan haichi 伽藍配置

EXTERNAL LINKS:

NOTES:

(C)2001 Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System.　No reproduction or republication without written permission. 掲載のテキスト・写真・イラストなど、全てのコンテンツの無断複製・転載を禁じます。