Shitennoji
| Arahakasan Shitennō-ji | |
|---|---|
Chushin garan (中心伽藍?)
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| Basic information | |
| Location | 1-1-18 Shitennō-ji, Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Osaka-fu |
| Affiliation | Wa-shū |
| Deity | Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) |
| Country | Japan |
| Website | http://www.shitennoji.or.jp/ |
| Architectural description | |
| Founder | Prince Shōtoku |
| Completed | 593 |
Coordinates: 34°39′14.04″N 135°30′59.22″E / 34.6539000°N 135.5164500°E Shitennō-ji (Japanese: 四天王寺; also Arahaka-ji, Nanba-ji, or Mitsu-ji) is a Buddhist temple in Ōsaka, Japan. It is sometimes regarded as the first Buddhist and oldest officially administered temple in Japan, although the temple buildings have been rebuilt over the centuries.
Prince Shōtoku invited three Korean Baekje carpenters, and they constructed this temple in 593. Prince Shōtoku was known for his profound Buddhist faith when Buddhism was not widespread in Japan. Most of the present structures are from when the temple was last completely rebuilt in 1963. One of the members involved in the initial construction of the temple in the 6th century later established a firm Kongō Gumi, specialized in temple and shrine buildings over centuries.
The Shitennō are believed to be four heavenly kings. The temple Prince Shōtoku built to honor them had four institutions, each to help the Japanese attain a higher level of civilization. This Shika-in (四箇院 Four Institutions?) was centered on the seven-building garan (伽藍?) (the complex inside the walls), and included a Kyōden-in (Institution of Religion and Education), a Hiden-in (welfare Institution), a Ryōbyō-in (hospital), and a Seiyaku-in (pharmacy) to provide essential care to the people of Japan.
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