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Shōryōin Temple:
Okuden Hall and Edō Hall
Shōryōin Temple, also called Taishiden, is dedicated to Prince Shōtoku (574–622), the founder of Shitennōji Temple. Its main worship hall, Taishi Maeden, is open to the public year-round, but other structures are open only on specific occasions.
The octagonal Okuden Hall, located behind Taishi Maeden Hall, enshrines statues of Prince Shōtoku at various important points in his life. The statues include a depiction of 49-year-old Prince Shōtoku, the age at which he died, which is enshrined on the upper floor of Okuden Hall. The statue depicts Shōtoku as a regent and is a hibutsu, or “hidden deity,” and is not generally shown to the public. The statue is only revealed on January 22 of each year when the hall is opened. The basement of Okuden Hall is filled with thousands of small statues of Taishi Rokkannon (Prince Shōtoku as the Boddhisattva of Compassion) that have been donated to the temple by the devout.
Prince Shōtoku, in addition to spreading Buddhism throughout Japan, is also remembered for his illustrious career as a statesman. The Edō Hall depicts the events of his life, from miraculous episodes to hard-won accomplishments, with a series of different murals by different artists. The current murals were painted by Sugimoto Kenkichi (1905–2004) and completed in 1983 after six years of work. A monk explains these murals in detail during their regular exhibition on the twenty-second of each month.
The octagonal Okuden Hall, located behind Taishi Maeden Hall, enshrines statues of Prince Shōtoku at various important points in his life. The statues include a depiction of 49-year-old Prince Shōtoku, the age at which he died, which is enshrined on the upper floor of Okuden Hall. The statue depicts Shōtoku as a regent and is a hibutsu, or “hidden deity,” and is not generally shown to the public. The statue is only revealed on January 22 of each year when the hall is opened. The basement of Okuden Hall is filled with thousands of small statues of Taishi Rokkannon (Prince Shōtoku as the Boddhisattva of Compassion) that have been donated to the temple by the devout.
Prince Shōtoku, in addition to spreading Buddhism throughout Japan, is also remembered for his illustrious career as a statesman. The Edō Hall depicts the events of his life, from miraculous episodes to hard-won accomplishments, with a series of different murals by different artists. The current murals were painted by Sugimoto Kenkichi (1905–2004) and completed in 1983 after six years of work. A monk explains these murals in detail during their regular exhibition on the twenty-second of each month.
