A Triumvirate of Temples at Nara
December 12th, 2010
Part III: Toshodai-ji: T’ang Buddhist Monastery
In the final part of our series on the great temples of Nara, we look at the picturesque precinct of Toshodai-ji temple and the flowering of cultural ties that began to flourish between Japan and China during the Nara Period
Toshodai-ji's Main Hall (Kondo)
The temple of Toshodai-ji is little-known to foreign visitors, yet it played a significant role in the development of Buddhist doctrine from the second half of the 8th century AD onwards. Read the rest of this article »
A Triumvirate of Temples at Nara
November 17th, 2010
Part II: Todai-ji
In this the second part of my exploration of the ancient Japanese capital city of Nara, we pay a visit to the magnificent precinct of the temple of Todai-ji, the showcase and guiding force behind the imperial statewide system of Buddhist temples in 8th century Japan.
The majority of visitors to the parklands of Nara tend to gravitate towards the monumental temple precinct of Todai-ji. Most enter through the main southern gateway, which was re-built in the Chinese classical style in 1199. Inside this imposing structure stand two powerful and energetic statues of the “Kongo Rikishi”, the “Guardian Kings of the Faith”. Read the rest of this article »
A Triumvirate of Temples at Nara
November 10th, 2010
In this series of postings I’ll be exploring three of my favourite temple-destinations in and around Nara, a magnificent (and often overlooked) tourist destination and the former ancient capital of Japan.
Part I: Horyu-ji
The Japanese drew considerable political, religious and cultural inspiration from the peoples on the Asian mainland, not least in their adoption of Buddhism and the Chinese system writing. By the late fifth century AD, the teachings of Buddha Sakyamuni had spread from India as far the distant shores of Korea, and it is around this time that we see the first signs of Buddhism filtering into Japanese society. Read the rest of this article »
The Northern Wars of Seti I
November 4th, 2010
For the Egyptians, the Temple of Karnak was known as the Ipet-Sut – the “Most Select of Places”. Even today these majestic ruins, which constitute one of the largest religious precincts ever built, reverberate with echoes of this ancient name, and a deeply sacred past. Read the rest of this article »
Egypt’s Exotic Trade With Africa
November 1st, 2010
To mark the launch of our updated guide to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, Professor Ken Kitchen was kind enough to share some of his thoughts on the ancient east African kingdom of Punt and her trade with New Kingdom Egypt:
For over thirteen centuries (c. 2500-1170 B.C.) the Egyptian record bears witness to the existence of a territory and people located in east Africa whose name is usually rendered as ‘Punt’ in most modern writings. Read the rest of this article »
