Sofukuji is an Obaku Zen temple that was built by the Chinese monk Chaonian
(Chozen) in 1629 as the family temple of the Chinese from Fuzhou, Fujian
Province who settled in Nagasaki.
Two of its buildings have been designated as national treasures. The red
entrance gate and other structures in the precincts are rare examples of the
architecture of South China during the Ming dynasty.
The goddess of the sea, Maso, is enshrined in the Masodo, along with other
life-sized statues in the main hall.
In the temple grounds is a large cauldron made by the resident priest Qianhai
to cook gruel for people who were starving during the famine of 1681.
The Chinese Bon Festival is held here from July 26 to 28 (by lunar calendar),
with Chinese coming from all over Japan to participate in the ritual for the
dead.
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Main gate.
The red entrance gate and other structures in the precincts are rare
examples of the architecture of South China during the Ming dynasty.
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Chinese guardian lion.
Chinese guardian lions, or imperial guardian lions, are a traditional
Chinese architectural ornament, but the origins lie deep in much older
Indian Buddhist traditions. Typically made of stone, they are also known
as stone lions or shishi. They are known in colloquial English as lion
dogs or foo dogs / fu dogs.
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The concept, which originated and became popular in Chinese Buddhism,
features a pair of highly stylized lions—often one male with a ball
which represents the material elements and one female with a cub—which
represents the element of spirit, were thought to protect the building
from harmful spiritual influences and harmful people that might be a
threat.
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Main Hall, Mazu door and Okama.
Main Hall (left), Mazu door (center) and Okama (right).
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Main Hall.
«Sofukuji Temple was established in 1629 when a group of people,
centering mainly on people from the Chinese city of Fuzhou who were
living in Nagasaki, invited Chaoran, a Chinese priest from Fuzhou, to
come to Nagasaki. With the help of a donation from He Gaocai, an
influential benefactor, the Main Hall dedicated to Buddha was
constructed in 1646 from materials processed in China and shipped from
there to Nagasaki on Chinese ships. Initially the building was
single-story but some 35 to 36 years after construction it was given an
additional tier that provides the two-story look of the exterior that we
can see today. The lower part of the hall is demonstrative of Chinese
architecture with its Gyakugiboshizuka (reverse bulbous decorations on
the brackets along the cornice), and the arched ceilings commonly known
as an Obaku ceilings, against which the detailed style of the upper part
of the structure is unmistakably Japanese in tone, although this
contrast harmonizes well and does not make the viewer feel anything is
out of place.
Nagasaki City Board of Education (2017).»
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The Group of Buddhist Statues in the Sofukuji Temple Main Hall.
«The principle image in the Main Hall is a statue of the seated Shaka
Nyorai. Viewed from straight ahead, to the right of Shaka Nyorai is a
statute of the saint Kasho, and to the left a statue of the saint Anan,
both depicted standing. All of these statues are dry-lacquered,1 and
inside them have been found five internal organs made of silver and six
organs of cloth. The five silver organs are inscribed with the date of
production (1653) and the name of He Gaocai who managed the collection
of donations for the production of the statues, while on the other six
cloth organs are ink inscriptions of the names of the statue maker Xu
Runyang and two other craftsmen, and Xu's address in the Chinese city of
Nanchang in the present day province of Jiangxi.
The statues of the Eighteen Arhats, the original followers of Buddha who
have attained the state of Nirvana, flank the central statue to the left
and right. They are hollow and have been made from several pieces of
wood using the yosegi zukuri 2 technique, applied with linen and
hardened by lacquering. A scroll (dated 1677) detailing the number of
contributors to the commissioning of the statues was discovered inside
their hollow interiors, and a contemporary letter written by the Chinese
monk Nanyuan mentioning that three Chinese craftsmen will be making the
Eighteen Arhats for Sofukuji Temple, are both from 24 years after the
production of the three main statues, but it is possible that Xu Runyang
and his two colleagues were also the manufacturers of these statues too.
All of the statues are the work of Chinese craftsmen and provide a
precious record of the techniques of the day and age.
Notes:
1. A statue-making method in which multiple coats of linen or Japanese
paper are applied and lacquered over, using a gluey mixture produced by
kneading lacquer and woodchips.
2. A method used to piece together various wooden materials when making
Buddha statues. It is an alternative to ichiboku zukuri, in which
the statue is made out of one single block of wood.
Nagasaki City Board of Education (2017).»
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Gohodo Hall, Bell and Drum Tower, and Okama.
Gohodo Hall (right), Bell and Drum Tower (center) and Okama (left).
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Gohodo Hall (Kanteido Hall/Kannondo Hall).
«Fukusaiji and Shofukuji Temple, destroyed by fire during the atomic
bombing, and the Obaku-san Manpukulji Temple, still extant in Kyoto's
Uiji all had or have a Tenno Hall ("Heavenly King's Hall"). Inside these
halls statues of Hotei, a depiction of a fattened-up Miroku (the future
Buddha Maitreya) and Idaten (Skandra, the guardian of Buddhist temples)
are placed back-to-back, forming the left and right hand flanks of the
entrance in front of the Main Hall. This is a special feature of temples
of the Obaku Zen sect. At the Gohodo Hall of Sofukuji Temple, Idaten is
worshipped, and although the pillar spacing is similar to that of the
Tenno halls, the fact that the rear of the hall is just a wall like an
ordinary Zen temple hall is probably due to its topographical situation
on the mountainside which made it impossidie to create a gate. It can be
judged from the inscription in ink at the base of the main beam that the
building was constructed in the year 1731.
The rattan work on the upper parts of the pillars, the bracket arms
fitted into the pillars, fan rafters, low door and barreled ceiling show
all the signs of Obaku-style Chinese-influenced architectural design.
Although the patterns carved on the keystone appear to be the work of
Chinese craftsmen, the gable decorations are in a Japanese style,
demonstrating that Japanese craftsmen also participated in the
construction of the hall.
Nagasaki City Board of Education (2017).»
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Bell and Drum Tower, and Okama.
Bell and Drum Tower (right), and Okama (left).
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In the temple grounds is a large cauldron made by the resident priest
Qianhai to cook gruel for people who were starving during the famine
of 1681.
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Okama is the honorific Japanese term for a cauldron or kettle
(generically).
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Mazu Hall.
«Mazu is the goddess of the seas, also known by the names of
Tianhoushengmu, Tianfei, Laoma, Pusa, and others, and is particularly
revered in the southern regions of China. Statues of the goddess were
worshipped before Chinese vessels set out to sea, and one of these
statues was lowered from a Chinese ship while anchored in the port of
Nagasaki and enshrined in the Chinese-style Mazu Hall at Sofukuji
Temple. The construction of Sofukuji Temple and the other Chinese-style
temples in Nagasaki, Kofukuji Temple and Fukusaiji Temple all started
with the erection of a Mazu Hall, and the building is among the most
precious in the temple complex.
The present Mazu Hall at Sofukuji Temple was constructed in the year
1794 with funding provided by Chinese boat owners who presented sugar
weighing 10,000 kin (equivalent to 45kg of silver) as payment. A
barreled roof covers the balustrade and portico upon the podium, and the
Obaku Style (Chinese influence) is visible, although a few signs of
Japanese design can also be detected mixed into the finer details of the
building.
An open space has been set aside in the portico in which the ceremony of
raising and lowering the statue of Mazu can be conducted, and in order
that it can be viewed from Nagasaki's harbor a single flagpole set in
two stones to fly a flag that serves as a landmark still remain in front
of the bell and drum tower.
Nagasaki City Board of Education (2017).»
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The goddess Mazu is always flanked by these guardians: “Thousand li
Eyes” and “Wind Favouring Ears”, who both symbolize clairvoyance and
deep knowledge as one can see far ahead and the other can hear all
that the wind brings.
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Wooden fish.
A wooden fish, also known as a Chinese temple block, wooden bell, or
muyu, is a type of woodblock that originated from East Asia that is used
by monks and lay people in the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism. They are
used by Buddhist ceremonies in China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam and other
Asian countries. They may be referred to as a Chinese block, Korean
block or, rarely, as a skull.
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Wooden fish often used in rituals usually involving the recitation of
sutras, mantras, or other Buddhist texts. In Chan Buddhism, the wooden
fish serve to maintain rhythm during chanting. In Pure Land Buddhism,
they are used when chanting the name of Amitabha.
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Wooden fish come in many sizes and shapes, ranging from 150
millimetres (5.9 in), for laity use or sole daily practice, or to 1.2
metres (3.9 ft) for usage in temples.
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See more at
Wooden fish - Wikipedia.
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See also
Source
Location
