Sanjusangendo Temple travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

Sanjusangendo is the popular name for Rengeo-in, a temple in eastern Kyoto which is famous for its 1001 statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. Sanjusangendo is a Buddhist temple in Higashiyama District of Kyoto, Japan. Officially known Sanjusangendo belongs to and is run by the Myoho-in temple, a part of the Tendai school of Buddhism. The temple name literally means Hall with thirty three spaces between columns, describing the architecture of the long main hall of the temple. Temple built in 12th century. Initially temple contained 124 small statues. In 13th century statues were added till 1001 units were reached. First row of statues are impressions of different gods (Thunder, Wind, …). Each one of them being remarkable pieces of art!

Archers compete against each other in the 120-meter long Sanjusangen-do Temple, which is the world’s longest wooden structure. The l meter in diameter target is positioned 60 meters away, so a high level of expertise is required
“Sanjusangendo” means a hall with 33 bays. The number 33 is sacred in Buddhism, for it is believed that Buddha saves mankind by disguising himself in 33 different forms. The 33 bays hold 1,001 statues of Kannon-Bosatsu! Each small image is 5 1/2 feet tall, carved out of wood and leafed in gold. It was an amazing sight.

There are 30 guardian deities, at one side the God of thunder and at the other side the God of wind. Both gods were worshipped as deities who controlled weather and brought good harvest. The statues are from the Kamakura period (12th-14th century) The temple was established by a powerful warrior-politician Taira-no-Kiyomori in 1164. The original building was destroyed by fire, but was reconstructed in 1266. Since then it underwent 4 major reconstructions. The hall is 120 meter long. It is open from 9:00 to 16:00. Admission free is 600 Yen. Photography is not permitted inside the temple.