Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto
Daigoji Temple
The Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) consist of seventeen component parts that are situated in Kyoto and Uji Cities in Kyoto Prefecture and Otsu City in Shiga Prefecture. Built in A.D. 794 on the model of the ancient Chinese capital, Kyoto has acted as the cultural centre while serving as the imperial capital until the middle of the 19th century.
As the centre of Japanese culture for more than a thousand years, it spans the development of Japanese wooden architecture, particularly religious architecture, and the art of Japanese gardens, which has influenced landscape gardening the world over. Most of the one hundred ninety-eight buildings and twelve gardens that make up the seventeen component parts of the property were built or designed from the 10th to the 17th centuries.
In 874, a Buddhist monk Shobo, who is known under his posthumous name of Rigen Daishi (the Great Master of Holy Treasures), built a hermitage to which Kannon (Avalokitesvara) statues of Juntei and Nyoirin were dedicated on the top of the Kamidaigo mountain where he discovered a well of the spiritual water named Daigo through an inspiration from a local god Yokoo Daimyojin. This is the origin of Daigoji temple. After a while pious supports of Emperor Daigo (897-930), Suzaku (930-46), and Murakami (946-67) contributed to development of Daigoji temple complex. In 907, for instance, the Yakushi hall was constructed to fulfill the imperial wish of Emperor Daigo. The temple complex of Kamidaigo (the upper part of Daigo) was completed by construction of the Godai hall. Consequently a plan of the Shimodaigo (the lower part of Daigo) complex was carried on. The Sakyamuni hall built in 926 and the five-storied pagoda built in 951 were consisted of the prototype of the Shimodaigo temple complex.
The construction of the five-storied pagoda was set for the repose of the Emperor Daigo and completed in 951 at the reign of the Emperor Murakami. This is the oldest building.Inside of the pagoda, moreover, there are the paintings which provide invaluable information about the origin of arts in Japnese esoteric Buddhism.
- Release date 2020
- Medal Alloy Name Nordic Gold
- Medal Alloy Color Gold
- Medal Diameter 38.00
- Medal Thickness 2.75
- Medal Edge Serrated, fine
- City Kyoto
- Country Japan
- Available yes
- Location KYOTO, JAPAN
- Release date 2020
- Medal Alloy Name Alpaca
- Medal Alloy Color Silver
- Medal Diameter 38.00
- Medal Thickness 2.75
- Medal Edge Serrated, fine
- City Kyoto
- Country Japan
- Available yes
- Location KYOTO, JAPAN