is a Rinzai temple in Dazaifu

Dazaifu, Fukuoka

is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Nearby cities include Ōnojō and Chikushino. Although mostly urban, it does have arable land used for paddy fields and market gardening....

, Fukuoka Prefecture

Fukuoka Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It was founded by Ganjin

Jianzhen

Jianzhen was a Chinese monk who helped to propagate Buddhism in Japan. In the eleven years from 743 to 754, Jianzhen attempted to visit Japan some six times.-Life:...

 in 761.

Together with Tōdai-ji

Todai-ji

, is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall , the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu . The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the ...

 in Nara

Nara, Nara

is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...

 and Yakushi-ji in Tochigi Prefecture

Tochigi Prefecture

is a prefecture located in the Kantō region on the island of Honshū, Japan. The capital is the city of Utsunomiya.Nikkō, whose ancient Shintō shrines and Buddhist temples UNESCO has recognized by naming them a World Heritage Site, is in this prefecture...

, it was one of Japan's three official ordination halls during the Nara period

Nara period

The of the history of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. Empress Gemmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō . Except for 5 years , when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kammu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō, in 784...

.

History

Kaidan-in was first built in 761; the present hall dates to the 17th century. Originally part of Kanzeon-ji

Kanzeon-ji

is a seventh-century Buddhist temple in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Once the most important temple in Kyushu, its bell is one of the oldest in the country and has been designated a National Treasure. In 1996 the Ministry of the Environment designated its sound as one of the 100 Soundscapes...

, it later came to be administered separately.

Treasures

The seated statue of Rushana Buddha (毘盧遮那仏), from the late Heian period

Heian period

The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...

, is located in Kaidan-in's worship hall. Rushana is a form of the cosmic Buddha, Dainichi

Dainichi

*Dainichi Nyorai is the Japanese version of Vairocana, one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas.*Dainichi can be a Japanese name.*Dainichi Station is also the terminus of Osaka's Tanimachi Line ....

 (Vairocana

Vairocana

Vairocana is a celestial Buddha who is often interpreted as the Bliss Body of the historical Gautama Buddha; he can also be referred to as the dharmakaya Buddha and the great solar Buddha. In Sino-Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of shunyata or...

). The deity was introduced in the Nara period. It is important cultural properties

Important Cultural Properties of Japan

The term is often shortened into just are items officially already classified as Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs and judged to be of particular importance to the Japanese people....

 designated by the government.

See also

• Kanzeon-ji
  Kanzeon-ji
  is a seventh-century Buddhist temple in Dazaifu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Once the most important temple in Kyushu, its bell is one of the oldest in the country and has been designated a National Treasure. In 1996 the Ministry of the Environment designated its sound as one of the 100 Soundscapes...