Sanboin was built by the 14th Archbishop, Shokaku, in 1115. The building has since been used as the residence of successive archbishops of Daigoji Temple. Most of Sanboin’s buildings are deisgnated as important cultural properties. Of those buildings, Omote-Shoin, which commands a view of the entire garden, is designated as a national treasure for it’s importance in transmitting the Shinden-zukuri style of architecture and representing buildings of the Momoyama period. The building that stands tall to the east of Omote-Shoin is Junjokan and farthest east Hondo Hall is located in which the statues of the statue of the temple’s principal image Mirokubosatsu (Maitreya bodhisattva) carved by Kaikei, Kobo Daishi, the founder of Daigoji Temple are enshrined. The garden of Sanboin was designed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi personally and ordered by him to have the famous stone “Fujito Ishi”, the symbol of the supreme ruler, brought from Jurakudai, thus it has been known as the garden of the ruler. It is now designated by the government as a special historic spot and a place of scenic beauty in Japan.
(Ref: Daigoji Temple pamphlet)
(above: my goshuin for this beautiful temple)
Reihokan Area:
Ever since it’s founding, Daigoji has been protected by the prayers of Emperors, nobles, warriors and ordinary people. Throughout it’s history Daigoji has preserved over 100,000 buddhist statues, paintings and applied arts.
Reihokan was opened in 1935 in order to preserve amd display this precious collection. In 2001 the Yakushi Sanzon statues (National Treasures) were brought down from Yakushido in Kami-Daigo (the upper part of Daigo) to reside in Reihokan. Likewise, in 2014, statues of the Godai Myo’o (the five great wisdom kings, importsnt cultural assets) were transferred from Godaido in Kami-Daigo and enshrined in the Heisei hall in Reihokan. The seated statue of Yakushi Nyorai in Yakushido (a national treasure) becamr known as Haku-Yakushi, from the popular tradition of applying gold leaf to a part of a statue then offering prayers to receive relief from an ailment in that part of the worshipper’s own body. The fuve great Wisdom Kings are popularly known through “Gidairiki-san” (the Godai-Rikison Ninnoe-e festival) and have long protected people from misfortune. Reihokan also features a large rotating collection of ancient documents, paintings and other treasure revealing the prayer and culture of Daigoji)
(Ref: Daigo Temple pamphlet)
