Ancient shrines with a huge flockings of deers - Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara 617; Daimokutate 00276; Traditional skills, techniques and knowledge for the conservation and transmission of wooden architecture in Japan 01618
What and why
Nara (Japanese: 奈良) was a slightly neglected former capital of Japan during the 8th century CE, before moving the capital to Kyōto (京都). During this period, the framework of national government was consolidated and Nara enjoyed great prosperity, emerging as the masthead of Japanese culture. As a result, there is a large number of well-preserved Buddhist and Shintō shrines and imperial ruins around the city, in particular near the central park Nara Park (奈良公園, Nara kōen). Nara Park is famous for its deers, and they can get overly-friendly.
Toponymy
The most accepted theory points to the Japanese 平す (narasu), meaning flat, describing the region's flat topography. The kanji form of Nara 奈良 is a transliteration.
See
Nara Park (奈良公園)
Most of the important monuments are located inside Nara Park, which is a very pleasant and massive park to stroll around. According to legend, the god of the Kasuga-taisha (春日大社), the great springtime shrine, Takemikazuchi (建御雷) came riding a white deer in the old days, so the deers enjoy protected status as envoys of the god, and hence the park is famous (or infamous) for these very demanding sika deers. They will harass all visitors for food, although most of them are generally friendly. At one point in history, these deers were considered sacred and killing them would result in death penalty! Clearly this deer status is stripped.
Tōdai-ji (東大寺)
Tōdai-ji (東大寺), meaning the Great Eastern Temple, is the centrepiece of the Nara monument. Built in the 8th century CE, this famous Buddhist temple is also the largest wooden structure in the world. As previously blogged in Nikkō (日光) and Shirakawa-gō (白川郷), Japanese wooden architecture enjoy a privileged status in Japan, and this massive structure is simply the icon of all of Japanese wooden architecture, employing all techniques available to continue standing till today.
Its Great Buddha Hall (大仏殿, Daibutsuden) houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana (大日如來, Sanskrit: वैरोचन). Recently, a human tooth, along with various artefacts were discovered inside of the knee of the Great Buddha; these are believed to be the relics of Emperor Shōmu (聖武), the 45th emperor of Japan.
Tōdai-ji served as the central administrative temple for the provincial temples during its peak when Nara was the capital during the 8th century CE. While Nara was in its heydays, Shōmu's reign was not welcomed as he imposed heavy tax on its citizens, and the city was in discontent. Moreover the country was also suffering from various epidemics. During the same a popular Buddhist monk Gyōki (行基), formed a number of communities to help the suffering citizens and hence Shōmu asked him for help. Gyōki answered and situations improved, and that was whey Shōmu built various Buddhist temples in Japan, including Tōdai-ji.
A pillar in the Tōdai-ji has a hole said to be the same size as one of the Great Buddha's nostrils. Legend has it that those who pass through it will be blessed with enlightenment in their next life.
Kasuga-taisha (春日大社)
While Tōdai-ji is the most celebrated Buddhist temple, Kasuga-taisha, meaning the Great Shrine of Springtime, is the most famous counterpart in Shintoism. The four main kami (神) enshrined and worshipped here are Ame no koyane (天児屋命), the male god, Himegami (姫神), the female god, Futsunushi (経津), the god of sword, and Takemikazuchi (建御雷), god of thunder.
The reddish shrine traces its origin from the Fujiwara (藤原) clan. The Shintō shrine is also famous for its many bronze lanterns, as well as the many stone lanterns outside it. Its architectural style Kasuga-zukuri (春日造) inspires construction of many Shintō shrines in Japan.
Kōfuku-ji (興福寺)
Kōfuku-ji (興福寺), meaning the temple of prosperity, is located outside the main Nara Park. It is a Buddhist temple established in the 7th century CE that serves as the national headquarter of the Hossō (唯識) school, the school that practises yogācāra (Sanskrit: योगाचार) and traditional rationality.
A prominent construction is the Gojū-no-tō (五重塔), the five-storey pagoda. Five-storey pagodas are commonplace in Japanese Shintō complexes.
Yakushi-ji (薬師寺)
Yakushi-ji (薬師寺), meaning the temple for the medicine Nuddha. The main object of veneration, Bhaiṣajyaguru (Sanskrit: भैषज्यगुरु, 薬師如來), was one of the first Buddhist deities to arrive in Japan from China in 680 CE, and gave the temple its name.
Heijō-kyū (平城宮)
Heijō-kyū (平城宮) was the imperial residence in the Japanese capital of Nara until the end of the 8th century CE. It was designed similar to Chinese walled or enclosed palace.
The prominent gate Suzakumon (朱雀門) is the main south-facing gate. Suzaku (朱雀) is the red vermillion bird that again derives from Chinese custom. This is the four symbols (Chinese: 四象), the four auspicious beasts guarding the four directions: azure dragon of the East, the vermilion of the South, the white tiger of the West, and the black tortoise of the North.
Buy and Do
Daimokutate (題目立)
Along the shoppes in the Nara Park, one can find chopsticks made from the sawn-off horns of the deers.
During my visit to Nara Park there was a poster exhibition about Daimokutate (題目立). Daimokutate, meaning 'standing to the subject' is a recitation show that is performed at Yahashira Jinja in a nearby village called Kami-fukawa (上深川) of Nara. Yahashira-jinja means 'four columns shrine'.
The show, usually takes place annually in mid-October, is a local folklore ritual to acknowledge the young male villagers reaching adulthood. The ritual involves a dance during which the boys are dressed in samurai (侍) clothings and carrying arrows and bows and stand around a semi-circle. One by one, they are called to the centre by an elderly guru who reads the the tales of the feud between the Minamoto and Taira clans around the region, all done without music accompaniment. This is an important marker of village identity and in maintaining the youngster's solidarity and communal responsibility in the mountainous village. I did not manage to go to the village and watch the show, but the poster shows the details of this important local ICH.
Eat and Drink
Kaki-no-hazushi (柿の葉ずし)
The local specialty is kaki-no-hazushi (柿の葉ずし), which is a sushi wrapped with persimmon leaf. The other is the shika-senbei (鹿煎餅), which are biscuits for the deers, not for us.
Getting There and Around
Nara is very easily navigable on foot and most of these landmarks are pretty close to each other. Nara Park is just 1 km walk from the main train station. The entrance fee to Tōdai-ji and its museum is JPY 800¥, while other shrines in the park are all free. Nara deserves at least one or two days of visit.
UNESCO Inscriptions
Nara was the capital of Japan from 710 to 784. During this period the framework of national government was consolidated and Nara enjoyed great prosperity, emerging as the fountainhead of Japanese culture. The city's historic monuments – Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and the excavated remains of the great Imperial Palace – provide a vivid picture of life in the Japanese capital in the 8th century, a period of profound political and cultural change.
In Yahashira Shrine of Nara City in central Japan, young men of the Kami-fukawa community stand in a semi-circle dressed in samurai clothes and carrying bows. One by one, they are called to the centre by an old man who reads the name of a character in the tales of the feud between the Genji and Heike clans. Each in turn delivers his character’s lines from memory, in a distinctive accent but without acting or musical accompaniment. When all twenty-six characters have spoken, the youths rhythmically stamp their feet and sing themselves offstage. Originally a rite of passage at the age of seventeen to mark the formal acceptance of the eldest son into the community of the twenty-two families of Kami-fukawa, the Daimokutate is now performed annually in mid-October by young men of various ages and from many different families. Indeed, since the twentieth century, the dispersion of the original twenty-two families has meant that other residents of Nara have led the effort to preserve the ceremony. Unique in Japan as a dramatic performance without acting or music, the Daimokutate is an important marker of identity and plays an indispensable role in maintaining solidarity in this mountainous town.
The conservation and transmission of wooden architecture in Japan consists in a set of traditional skills, techniques and knowledge. Roughly seventy per cent of the country is forested. Therefore, wood has been used in houses since ancient times. In fact, the world’s oldest surviving wooden structure is the Horyu-ji temple that was built in the early seventh century. Some examples of the seventeen skills described in the nomination file, include sakan plastering, the harvesting of Japanese cypress bark, lacquer painting of traditional structures, the production of tatami mats (flooring material), and many more. Until the nineteenth century, master craftsmen trained apprentices as successors to transmit knowledge of the traditional skills. Due to modernization, however, this process became more difficult, so preservation associations were formed. Knowledge includes not only techniques for building new structures, but also restoring existing ones. Due to the country’s hot and humid climate, repair work must happen often. At restoration sites, craftspeople with different skills must complete the work together. Some maintenance work also requires the involvement of local residents. For example, reed or straw thatch on a roof needs to be completely renewed every twenty years, which is a labour-intensive job. The element thus serves a social function by fostering cooperation and social cohesion and strengthens Japanese people’s sense of cultural identity.
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