The Hongwanji came to Kyoto shortly after the Sengoku Period which unified Japan. The General Oda Nobunaga had come to terms with his enemies, but passes - leaving control of Japan to his no. 1 general, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a man of common beginnings who could not become Shogun. Although the temple had begun as a mausoleum after the death of Shinran, the temple had moved extensively until this point. In the negotiated peace with the Imperial family's blessings, Toyotomi gave Hongwanji in 1584 a tract of land in Kyoto, probably to compensate for the Ishiyama location that eventually becomes Osaka Castle. The temple is complete in 1592 and Hideyoshi also donates works of arts and architectural features to the temple. Construction on Osaka Castle begins in 1593 and completed in 1597, after the passing of Hideyoshi.
Hideyoshi is also known as a tea enthusiast, oftentimes, consulting (and eventually disagreeing with) Sen Rikyu the founder of tea schools. Within the grounds of the Hongwanji, he had built the Floating Cloud Pavilion (Hiunkaku)
This is part of the National Historical Registry. Japan was a source of inspiration for such designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright and other Arts and Craftsman. In fact, if you go down and see La Brea Bakery at Downtown Disney, you will notice it has a familiar facade.
The Hiunkaku features two types of architecture, the angular lines of Chinese architecture popular in Kyoto and the softer curvy architecture of native Japan. It is considered as one of the three great pavilions of Kyoto, albeit most people cannot see this one. The other two are Kinkaku-ji and Ginkaku-ji.
No comments:
Post a Comment