Almost a thousand years ago, Fujiwara no Yorimichi, who was the chief adviser for the Emperor, converted a villa in Uji, near Kyoto, into a Buddhist temple, the today’s Byōdō-in. At the same time, he erected an astonishingly beautiful building that survived until today, the notorious Phoenix Hall (Hōō-dō) which is today featured on the Japanese 10 yen coin.
The nickname of the hall (which is officially named Amida-dō) comes from its shape, said to look like a phoenix with stretched wings. Anyway, regardless of the image it inspires, surrounded by a serene pond, the Phoenix Hall seems truly a structure from another world… Simply beautiful!
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Yesterday’s Japan Photo:Japanese traditions, Kyoto good luck charms Chimaki |
