Kōfuku-ji

nihongo|Kōfuku-ji|興福寺|Kōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple in the city of Nara, in Nara prefecture, Japan.

This temple is the head temple of the Hossō sect, and the "ujidera" or the ‘clan’s temple’ of the Fujiwara clan.

History

This temple was established by Kagaminookimi (鏡大君), the first wife of Emperor Tenji praying for her husbands’s recovery from illness in Yamashina, Yamashiro Province (present-day Kyoto) in 669. In 672, the temple was moved to Fujiwara-kyō, the first artificially planned capital in Japan. In 710, the temple was moved again to newly constructed capital, Heijō-kyō, today’s Nara.

In Nara, Kōfuku-ji is one of the ‘Nanto Shichi Daiji’, literally, seven major temples in the ‘South Capital’, after the capital was moved to Heian-kyō, today’s Kyoto. However, in the situation where many other major temples declined after the move of capital, Kōfuku-ji did not lose the shines with another major temple, Tōdai-ji. It is because the temple was a ‘clan’s temple’ of the Fujiwara clan, which commanded both power and fortune in many centuries.

World Heritage

Kōfuku-ji, along with several Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, the remains of the Heijō Palace, and other sites in Nara, received the distinction of being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.kohfukuji.com/ Kōfuku-ji web site (in Japanese)]
* [http://www.pref.nara.jp/nara/kaido/eg/ko_nara/spot/k23.htm Nara Prefecture page on Kōfuku-ji ]
* [http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=31&id_site=870 UNESCO]