Fri, Dec 13, 2024
Panelists discussed various aspects of the ongoing restoration of the Five-storied Pagoda of Kofuku-ji temple (Nara) in a cultural symposium held at the Tokyo National Museum (Ueno Park) in September 2024.
The symposium, themed on preserving and passing down the cultural treasures kept by the head temple of the Hosso school of Buddhism, was organized by The Yomiuri Shimbun and other institutions.
A panel discussion held during the symposium was attended by Kofuku-ji Abbot Eishun Moriya, 75, historical novelist Toko Sawada, 47, who has written a story about the Siege of Nara (1181) involving Kofuku-ji, and Daisuke Kojima, 49, who heads the Conservation and Restoration Division of the Tokyo National Museum. The 350 or so people in the audience seemed enthused by what they had to say.
In his opening remarks, Abbot Moriya told the audience that he was impressed by a Buddhist scripture he had come across in a high school library, and that that was what lead to his entering the priesthood. He entered Kofuku-ji in 1980 after having served for some time as a civil servant in the city of Kamakura. “That I took part in the restoration of the temple’s Nan’en-do (Southern Round Hall) and the reconstruction of Chukon-do (Central Golden Hall),” he said. “Now I am involved in the first repair work of the Five-storied Pagoda in about 120 years.”
Kojima pointed out that Kofuku-ji had endured many fires throughout its history, “rising up again and again like the phoenix.” For that to happen, the financial backbone of an institution is essential, “but more so, the power of faith and the prayers of the people, the fruits of which are the sculptures and the buildings.” Kojima ended his remark by saying, “I tell people they should go to Kofuku-ji if they want to learn something about Japan’s Buddhist art.”
Sawada, on the other hand, said that to get to Todai-ji temple or Kasuga Taisha shrine from the Kintetsu Nara Station, “one has to go through the premises of Kofuku-ji.” Which means Kofuku-ji was not near the center of Heijo Palace (the imperial residence in Heijo-kyo, the ancient capital which today is Nara), but on the eastern end of it. “Viewed from the center of the palace, Kofuku-ji was located on a hill continuous with Kasuga-yama (Mt. Kasuga), a place for prayers,” she said.
With the completion of the repair work of the Five-storied Pagoda in view, it was announced at the symposium that a special exhibition entitled, “Expressing Prayer, Capturing Form — Buddhist Sculptures by Unkei from the Northern Round Hall of Kohfukuji Temple” (organized by the temple, The Yomiuri Shimbun and others) will open at the Tokyo National Museum in September 2025.
Hokuen-do (Northern Round Hall), according to Kojima, was first built in 721 upon the first anniversary of the death of Fujiwara-no-Fuhito, the builder of Heijo-kyo. It was later burned down by the Heike (Taira clan), but rebuilt around 1210 (Kamakura period). It is the oldest remaining building on the premises of Kofuku-ji. The seated statue of Miroku-butsu (Maitreya), the hall’s principal image of worship and a designated national treasure of Japan, is a masterpiece of Buddhist sculptor Unkei from late in his life. “The special exhibition is noteworthy in that it will recreate the interior of Hokuen-do from when it was rebuilt during the Kamakura period, which will more than likely never happen again,” said Kojima.
The Five-storied Pagoda is said to have been built in 730 according to the wishes of Fuhito’s daughter Empress Komyo (consort of Emperor Shomu). It was burned down and reconstructed time and again. The sixth tower, the one we see today, was built during the Muromachi period (14th-16th century). The latest repair work involves re-tiling its roof and remedying the severely damaged structures of the building.
Sawada thinks new findings will emerge from the repair work. “We tend to think we know all about history, but new findings are always there to be found,” she said. “The fact that we are living today will also be history in 50 or 100 years. We learn about ourselves by learning about the past.”
Abbot Moriya explained that the reconstruction of Chukon-do was made possible by moral and financial support from well-wishers across Japan and said, “Repair work cannot be done without timber as building material, the artisans with the skillset, and the people who give their support.” He concluded his remark with a plea for everyone’s cooperation in the repair work of the Five-storied Pagoda, and added that although it may take longer than the scheduled time to finish the task (initially set to finish in 2032) due to surging material costs, they were all invited to a ceremony to celebrate the completion of the restoration project.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun and other sources)
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