Ankokuji Temple Sutra Repository: Revolving Sutra Case
Ankokuji Temple Sutra Repository
Ankokuji Temple Sutra Repository
JAPAN, Gifu, Takayama
Ankokuji, or Securing Nation Temple, is located at the foot of Hida Mountains. The temple was built in 1347 during the Nanbokucho period. According to inscriptions on the central pillar, the sutra repository was built in 1408 during the Muromachi period. It was listed as a National Treasure in 1963.
The repository has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with thin cypress. The simple structure is built in Zen style. Within the repository there is an octagonal revolving sutra case considered to be the oldest in Japan. The sutra case, which reaches up to the ceiling, is supported by two-tier bracket sets. An original copy of the Song Tripitaka brought over from China, as well as ink scrolls from 1573 to 1592 during the Azuchi-Momoyama period, are placed within the sutra case.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Architecture A-F, page 19.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Johnson, Peter and Mankuang and Lancaster, Lewis,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Architecture A-F},
pages = 19,
title = {{Ankokuji Temple Sutra Repository}},
volume = 1,
year = {2016}}