Phoenix Hall, the story of a name

One of the most famous buildings in Japan, featured on the 10 yen coin, the Phoenix Hall of the Byōdō-in Temple in Uji, Kyoto, was reopened this year after two years of renovation works.

This almost 1000 years old architectural wonder (built in 1053) was originally called Amida-do, from the Amida Buddha statue that was displayed inside, but soon after its construction was nicknamed Phoenix Hall (Hoo-do). The nickname comes from two sources, the phoenix statues decorating the roof and also from the shape of the building, that suggests the spread wings of a bird...