Tbirde66 - Is very, very late better than never ever?

satootoko

Hey Brad - A while back you asked about the story behind the structure pictured on the Japanese ¥10 coin for more than a half-century, since 1951.



I's the Amida Hall - the only surviving original building of Kyoto’s Byoudou-in Temple - more commonly known as the Phoenix Hall (Hou-do). One of the most beautiful and most visited places in Japan, the Byoudou-in Buddhist Temple was placed on the World Heritage List in 1994 by UNESCO. It is named for its resemblance to the mythical bird, its "wings" spread out in flight.

In 1052 Fujiwara Yorimichi decided to convert one of his father's villas into a temple. This was the beginning of Byodoin temple. The wealth and leisure that surrounded the aristocrats of this era encouraged the creation and appreciation of beautiful works of art, design and high culture. It was in this context that Byoudoin was established. In 1053, Fujiwara Yorimichi had the the Amida (Amitabha) Hall built around the Ajiike Pond in order to house a statue of the Amitabha Tathagata (Amida Nyorai). This Amida Hall is elegantly designed to represent the image of a many-storied building as depicted in sutras.

For more information check out this site.

oldshep

Very cool Roy!!
Shep

spoon

Good info! Thanks!!

syraq

" The Amitabha Hall, the central building of Byodoin Temple, came to be known as the Phoenix Hall by locals and travellers during the early Edo Period (1603-1868). There appear to be two reasons for this. One is obvious, a pair of Phoenixes decorated the top of the roofline of the central hall (Chudo). The mythical Chinese bird was the protector of Buddha according to the Japanese. The other reason for the name "Phoenix Hall" is believed to have been given because the entire hall looked like a bird alighting on a lake. "

tbirde56

Good info Roy!

Askari

It is indeed one of the most lovely architectural wonders of the world!

Compa

The history/background of coins is always half the fun!

Thanks for the info.