Kōfuku-ji Tokondo (Eastern Golden Hall) — Attraction in Nara

Historically, three Golden Halls—Central, Eastern, and Western— stood at the heart of the Kohfukuji temple complex. Of these, the Eastern Golden Hall was originally built at the behest of Emperor Shōmu (701–756) to pray for the convalescence of his aunt, retired Empress Genshō (683–748). Upon its completion in 726, a triad consisting of Yakushi Nyorai, commonly known as the Medicine Buddha, and his attendant Bodhisattvas Nikkō and Gakkō was installed on the central altar and surrounded by other images. In addition, the altar was lined with glazed green tiles to evoke the Pure Beryl Radiance Realm, the pure land of the Medicine Buddha. Over the centuries, the Eastern Golden Hall was consumed by fire five times, most recently in 1411. The current hall was consecrated in 1415. Although technically a structure from the Muromachi Period (1336–1573), it intentionally employs archaic architectural features, such as a covered porch stretching the full width of the front face of the building, three-stepped bracket complexes supporting the rafters, a hipped (as opposed to a pitched) roof, and a tiled stone floor to evoke the aura of the original Nara-period (710–794) building. Today, the Eastern Golden Hall enshrines an assemblage of images that provide a panoramic overview of the entire history of Japanese Buddhist art. These include the central icon, a copper-alloy image of Yakushi Nyorai cast in the Muromachi Period, copper-alloy images of the Bodhisattvas Nikkō and Gakkō (Hakuhō Era; late seventh century), Heian-period (794–1185) wooden images of the Four Heavenly Kings, as well as Kamakura-period (1185–1333) wooden images of Monju Bosatsu, Yuima Koji, and the Twelve...

The Tō-kondō (Eastern Golden Hall) is one of the three golden halls of the Kofuku-ji, a Buddhist temple that was once one of the mighty Seven Great Temples of Nara. TheTō-kondō was originally built at the behest of Emperor Shōmu (701–756) to pray for the convalescence of his aunt, retired Empress Genshō (683–748). Upon its completion in 726, a triad consisting of Yakushi Nyorai, the "Medicine Buddha", and his attendant Bodhisattvas Nikkō and Gakkō was installed on the central altar of the hall. Five times the Kofuku-ji burned down and the temple was rebuilt just as often, the last time in 1415. Today, the Eastern Golden Hall enshrines an assemblage of images that provide a panoramic overview of the entire history of Japanese...

2018/07/17（水曜日）奈良県警にある登大路自動車駐車場にマイカーを留めて、県庁舎脇を通り興福寺に向かう途中奈良県庁西交差点を渡ると多くの鹿が観光客と戯れていた。大方が外国からの観光客である。

世界遺産の石碑前で記念写真を撮る。ここも鹿をバックに撮影会が！

この脇は興福寺北参道にあたり中金堂はもう直ぐだ。

左手、東金堂に向かって左角に東金堂の拝観受付がある。 歴史、仏像に興味のある方は東金堂・国宝館共通券をお勧めします。 単独だと東金堂：３００円、国宝館：７００円で１，０００円です。

拝観良を払い（東金堂・国宝館共通券：大人９００円）堂内に向かう、入口前に係員が興福寺国宝館の案内書を個別に１００円で販売しており買い求めれば結局合計１，０００円であった。

東金堂は本堂の東にあるから「東の金堂」で東金堂（とうこんどう）と呼ばれる。 ご本尊は、銅造薬師如来座像(重文:室町時代)、脇仏は銅造日光・月光菩薩立像（白鳳時代)の薬師三尊。 さらに右側に文珠菩薩座像、左側に維魔居士座像（ゆいまこじざぞう）がかため、周りに木造十二神将像(国宝:鎌倉時代)、更に北東には多聞天、南東には持国天、南西には増長天、北西に広目天の木造四天王立像(国宝:平安時代)の四天王が安置されています。

堂内には東大寺の職員さんが常時駐在していますので、遠慮しないで解らないことは聞いてみると親切に教えていただけます。

現存する興福寺東金堂は、...