Hannya is a phonetic rendering of prajñā, the Sanskrit term for wisdom or insight.[2]
History
According to temple tradition, Ekan, a monk from Goguryeo, founded the monastic complex of Hannyadai (般若台) on the site in 629. Emperor Shōmu is then said to have bestowed upon it, in 735, six hundred volumes of the Daihannyaharamitta-kyō, in gold on indigo paper, along with a sotōba and the name Hannya-ji.[3]
According to The Tale of the Heike, during the Genpei War, Taira no Kiyomori dispatched Taira no Shigehira to lead the attack on Nara, in 1180. The defenders, many of them monks, took up position on Narazaka and at Hannya-ji. When the fighting continued into the night, Shigehira ordered torches to be lit, and one of his men set fire to a nearby house. Fanned by strong winds, the flames spread as far as Tōdai-ji and Kōfuku-ji. Later Shigehira's head was nailed in front of the Hannya-ji torii, since this is where he had stood when the temples burned.[4]
Architecture
The rōmon (NT) after the repairs of 1908; further work was undertaken on the roof in 1955[5]
Rōmon
The rōmon or "tower gate" is a National Treasure. Dated to the second half of the thirteenth century, perhaps to the Bun'ei era, it is unusual in having only one entrance, its narrowness precluding the standard three; a three bay form is adopted in the upper level.[6][7][8]
For an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture, see the Glossary of Japanese Buddhism.
References
^般若寺 [Hannyaji] (in Japanese). Hannyaji. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
^奈良県指定文化財一覧 [List of Prefectural Cultural Properties of Nara Prefecture] (PDF) (in Japanese). Nara Prefecture. Archived from the original(PDF) on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.