Day Two in Nara, part 3: The February Hall of Todaiji

Posted: May 7, 2010 | Author: Doug | Filed under: Buddhism, Japan, Photography, Shingon, Shinto, Travel | 2 Comments »

Our adventure in Nara’s eminent Todaiji Temple hadn’t ended with seeing the Great Buddha. Why? You see, after my first trip to Nara five years ago, and subsequent conversion to Buddhism, I started learning more about the places I visited (Chion-in, Todaiji, Kiyomizudera, etc), and realized that I missed so much the first time there. Todaiji is such a massive complex, that it’s easy to overlook things. I was also inspired by the small book, “Tales of the Old Todaiji” I purchased there (nothing I could find online, sorry) which explained a lot about Todaiji in small stories suitable for older children and gorgeous illustrations too.

So, on this visit, I resolved to see a lot more of Todaiji, but as it was already early afternoon, time was short, everyone was tired after seeing the Great Buddha. Thus, I had to be quick. Everyone decided to wait for me, and I ran like hell up the eastern hill (see map in previous post) to see all the temples there in time, especially the famous February Hall, or Nigatsudō, home of the famous Shuni-e ceremony that has existed for over a thousand years.

Immediately past the Great Buddha Hall (Daibutsuden), was this statue:

This statue was a replica of the famous Pillars of Asoka, and according to plaque, it was a gift from the Indian government to commemorate the anniversary of the Buddha’s birth. Really cool. From here, I ran up a path, that wound up to the next terrance on the hillside and the temples there. The most prominent feature was the great belfry:

The Belfry and bell were both quite large, almost as large as the ones I saw at Chion-in temple the previous day. Under the bell, they even had another place to get your pilgrimage book signed, but I left it with my wife on the hillside below.

To the right of the Belfry were buildings I couldn’t recognize, and whose names didn’t really mean anything to me, but behind the belfry, according to my map, was the Nembutsu-dō Hall:

Despite the name “nembutsu” (implying Pure Land Buddhism), I was surprised to see a gorgeous statue of Jizo Bodhisattva inside. Here, the crowd of people was very, very small. Maybe 2 or 3 people here, compared to huge throngs below, and yet the inside of the building was truly splendid. I knelt before Jizo, prayed a bit, and ran off again up the hill:

The first building encountered was the Lotus Sutra Hall or Hokkekyō, but I couldn’t stop in and take a look, which I regret.

But to the left was none other than the famous building, the February Hall:

The Nigatsudō or February Hall is the highest building in the Todaiji complex, and has an exquisite view of Nara, in addition to its venerable history, so I wasted no time and ran up the stairs under this archway:

The first thing I encountered was the water fountain for purification, and this small Shinto altar up the stairs, shown here. A small tea house was just to the right.

I paid my respects to the Shinto kami there first, then came to the Hall itself to my left:

There, I could make out in the inner sanctum a gorgeous image of Kannon Bodhisattva with many arms, and eleven faces, but this was probably the public image, as I recall the real image is only displayed rarely.

Just as wonderful was the view from the February Hall:

My iPhone struggled with the bright light from the sun, but the pictures still turned out alright:

I stood for a time admiring Jitchū’s legacy, and imagined what that monk once saw so many centuries ago when he first commissioned this place and started the Shuni-e rite. I read about Jitchū in the “Tales” book, and the legend that once in a retreat he found a cave that led to the Tushita Heaven, where he saw legions of bodhisattvas and disciples running frantically to pay homage to each Buddhist altar there. Amazed by what he saw, he supposedly brought this back to Todaiji and began the Shuni-e rite. Amusingly, like Jitchū, I had to run quite a bit that afternoon, uphill, downhill, etc.

Satisfied, I decided to hurry back down as my family was still waiting. After five years, I had finally ascended the February Hall, and had accomplished my mission in Nara (besides seeing Kofukuji):

I stopped briefly to admire the smaller Shigatsudō (April Hall) and its image of Kannon, and again I wish I had my pilgrimage book, but I had no time left, so I ran back down. I did make one big oversight: I didn’t find the old Ordination Hall or Kaidando (戒壇堂):

This oft-overlooked building was where the famous Chinese monk and founder of the Ritsu sect, Ganjin, had helped establish a proper ordination platform for monks in Japan. Unfortunately, it was located on the opposite side of the Great Buddha hall, but I misread the sign above and utterly missed it. I really hoped to pay respects to all the monks over the centuries who had ordained there (including Saicho and Kukai), but I will have to try again on my next trip to Nara, if I ever get the chance again.

Nara really is a fantastic place in Japan if you like early history and Buddhism or Shinto. There’s plenty of culture there and though a little bit out of the way, well worth it. We took an express train back to Kyoto and took a break before our trip on the third day to see the Nishi Honganji Temple. Stay tuned!

Namu Amida Butsu

---