Places, Images, Times & Transformations

Issues of Authority in Japanese Architecture

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The practice of rebuilding on a different site also relates to one practiced earlier in Japan. In pre-Buddhist times, the various palaces were abandoned upon the death of the ruler so as to avoid defilement. Finally, the regular reconstruction of Ise is immensely labor-intensive, taking eight years to complete the new fences, gates, and buildings and thirty-two rituals to purify the materials and laborers. The dedication of such vast amounts of time and resources to Ise's regular renewal are clear indicators of the shrine's continuing significance to the nation today.

Rebuilding at Izumo, however, was never regularized, suggesting that there is less emphasis on ritual purity at this site. Furthermore, Izumo has always been rebuilt on the same site, another indication that absolute purification is less urgent. Wide fluctuations in the power of its supporting clan have also directly reflected on the rebuilding of Izumo. When the region was weak, as during the Nara period (8th c.), the shrine was seldom rebuilt. But when regional forces flourished during the late tenth through eighteenth centuries, Izumo was rebuilt frequently-six times in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, six times in the fifteenth to early seventeenth centuries, at intervals from 19 to 33 years. The Inner Shrine of Ise was last rebuilt in 1993. Izumo, on the other hand, is 260 years old (dates to 1744), which suggests it continues to stand second to Ise in importance to the nation today.

The Great Buddha of Tōdaiji and Imperial Authority

As stated above, Izumo was not rebuilt during the Nara period (710-784) because at this time a powerful central government asserted its control over the regional clans. In 710, a new capital was established in Nara and impressive state and imperial halls were erected. Around the middle of the century, Emperor Shōmu, who favored Buddhism, envisioned a nation-wide system of regional monasteries emanating from one major temple located in the capital. The idea behind his vision was that by sponsoring the construction of Buddhist temples throughout the country, the nation and the ruling family would receive the combined protection of these powerful deities. The temple at the center of the system was Tōdaiji.

The most obvious expression of power at Tōdaiji is its massive size. Built by the labor of thousands of workers and with tons of raw materials, the Great Buddha Hall (daibutsuden) of the temple was even larger than the emperor's own Audience Hall (daigokuden). Tōdaiji's Great Hall was about 86 meters across, while the Audience Hall was approximately 50 meters, and its first story comprised twelve bays, three more than the imperial Audience Hall. Statistics on its construction are staggering.

The temple employed 227 site supervisors, 917 master builders, and 1,483 labors, with 1,000 cooks to feed them. Although the emperor sponsored the building of Tōdaiji, public subscriptions were sought nationally to help with construction costs, but also to facilitate others in receiving the Buddhist merit that would be accrued by their participation. Consequently, 50,000 people were moved to contribute timber, 370,000 donated gold coins, copper and other valuable objects, and 1.6 million volunteered their labor for the project.

A colossal bronze Universal Buddha or Vairocana was cast as the main image (honzon) for Tōdaiji's Great Buddha Hall. In seventh-century China, another ruler, Empress Wu, had created a similar image at Longmen, albeit in stone, to represent her centralized authority, and it is believed that Emperor Shōmu was consciously emulating her example. Even the size of the two images is comparable-Tōdaiji's original Vairocana was approximately 14 meters tall compared to Longmen's at about 13 meters. The casting of Tōdaiji's icon was begun in 747. It took over two years to complete and was so large that the casting had to be done in eight stages. The removal of the molds and correction of various casting imperfections took another five years, from 750 to 755, and during that time 966 snail-shaped curls for the Buddha's head were also cast, one by one.

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