Raw data
Located on the slopes of Mt. Takamado to the southeast of Nara City, Byakukôji is said to have been founded on the site of the villa of Prince Shiki, the seventh son of Emperor Tenji. It was apparently converted into a temple under imperial orders by the monk Gonzô after the prince died in 715. Another theory is that it originated as a cloister of a monastery, Iwabuchidera, today no longer in existence.
Documents indicate that it flourished in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) under Eizon, a leader of the Shingon Ritsu sect from Saidaiji. His disciple invested the temple with a complete set of scriptures, turning it into a training academy for monks. When the buildings burned down during the Kamakura period, the resident monks desperately tried to save the images of worship, but the Byakukôji did not revive until the Edo period. Today, the main object of worship is a statue of Amida (Amitābha) Buddha.
- -Mediaunion, ed. (2007: 26-7)
-“Byakugoji” http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/白毫寺
The temple name dates to the late Heian period. In the early 17th century, Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, donated 50 koku of landed estates.
- Tamamuro (1992:713)
Input by: Lizbeth H. Piel, Aug 16, 2010
Final data (and their sources)
Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 200 m from the point defined by the coordinates below.
General location of the Byakugo-ji monastery, JP.
Lat 34.671014 Long 135.851208
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://www.fallingrain.com), 2010.
Google Map link:
Final data - explanatory notes
1. Monastery's name
- Byakugôji 百豪寺. Alternative English spelling: Byakugô-ji, Byakugoji
2. Monastery's modern country & province
- Japan: Nara Prefecture
3. Monastery's alternative/historical names
4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates
- Approx., Lat 34.671014 Long 135.851208 - http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/白毫寺
5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries
6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village
- Nara-shi (Nara City), Byakugoji-chô
7. The settlement's alternative/historical names
- Nara was known as Heijô-kyô (Heijô Capital)
8. The settlement's coordinates
- Nara's coordinates are exactly, Lat 34.6833 Long 135.8333 http://www.fallingrain.com/world/JA/28/Nara.html
9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition
- Mahayana
10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition
- Shingon Ritsu
11. Date-early
- Mid-8th century. -Mediaunion, ed. (2007: 27)
12. Date-intermediate
- Kamakura period (1185–1333) -Mediaunion, ed. (2007: 27)
13. Date-late
- Restored under Kukei in the Tokugawa period (1600–1868). –Mediaunion, ed. (2007: 27)
14. Details of contacts with other monasteries
- A connection with Saidiji through the Shingon Ritsu sect
15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery
- Architecture, documents
16. Additional notes
[missing data] (incl. details of the size of the monastic population)
17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by
[missing data]
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