Here’s a picture of Mani-den. Unfortunately the hall burned down in 1921 and was rebuilt in 1933.
Besides natural disasters, man-made calamities were seen at almost all temples in Japan at the beginning of the Meiji period. When Japan’s first modern government was inaugurated in 1868, it made Shinto the state religion and the Emperor a living god as a descendant of the mythological divinity of Shinto realm.
Buddhism suffered tremendously. Before this misfortune, these two belief systems were, simply put, together. Shinto deities had their original prototypes in the Buddhism cosmos and were thought to be the manifestations of Buddhist gods and goddesses. People embraced them both. Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines stood side by side or one on the other’s grounds.
The Meiji government attempted to destroy this relationship and people’s confused angry sentiments followed, displaying hatred to Buddhism and its temples as well as the age-old precious statues and historical items. Engyo-ji was devastated as were most of the temples across the nation.
Though this radical movement was subdued after a few years, it was not until 1950 that the temple’s restoration fully started.
In 1949, most of the murals painted on the walls of Kondo (main hall) of Horyu-ji, an ancient temple in Ikaruga, Nara from the 7th century, were burned to ashes due to inadvertent fire caused while the temple’s restoration was in progress. This disaster lead to the creation of the Cultural Assets Protection Law in 1950. Japan’s cultural assets and properties came to be protected under the law.
Engyo-ji went through a series of restoration projects thanks to the law. See how the halls are laid out, and you will find them spectacular and would never forget once you saw them. Here's their official web site. You might not understand what they say in Japanese. But you'll surely enjoy the photos. http://www.shosha.or.jp/index.html
Besides natural disasters, man-made calamities were seen at almost all temples in Japan at the beginning of the Meiji period. When Japan’s first modern government was inaugurated in 1868, it made Shinto the state religion and the Emperor a living god as a descendant of the mythological divinity of Shinto realm.
Buddhism suffered tremendously. Before this misfortune, these two belief systems were, simply put, together. Shinto deities had their original prototypes in the Buddhism cosmos and were thought to be the manifestations of Buddhist gods and goddesses. People embraced them both. Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines stood side by side or one on the other’s grounds.
The Meiji government attempted to destroy this relationship and people’s confused angry sentiments followed, displaying hatred to Buddhism and its temples as well as the age-old precious statues and historical items. Engyo-ji was devastated as were most of the temples across the nation.
Though this radical movement was subdued after a few years, it was not until 1950 that the temple’s restoration fully started.
In 1949, most of the murals painted on the walls of Kondo (main hall) of Horyu-ji, an ancient temple in Ikaruga, Nara from the 7th century, were burned to ashes due to inadvertent fire caused while the temple’s restoration was in progress. This disaster lead to the creation of the Cultural Assets Protection Law in 1950. Japan’s cultural assets and properties came to be protected under the law.
Engyo-ji went through a series of restoration projects thanks to the law. See how the halls are laid out, and you will find them spectacular and would never forget once you saw them. Here's their official web site. You might not understand what they say in Japanese. But you'll surely enjoy the photos. http://www.shosha.or.jp/index.html
