The Architecture: 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.

The Phoenix Hall is roofed with Japanese clay tiles. The central hall (Chudo) has a single gambrel roof, and its purlin stretches approximately 5.5 meters away from the walls to the front and about 3.6 meters away to the side. On either side of the Chudo there are two outspread wing corridors - both of which are gabled - with raised eaves. These extend about 9.0 meters from north to south, and then hook slightly to the east, towards the pond. Interestingly, the wing corridors have absolutely no purpose at all. The first floor is just a collonade, and the upper floor has no walls or slides. The entrances are small, so it would have been hard for people to enter. It may be that they just served an artistic purpose, releasing the visual weight of the Chudo to left and right and in creating elegance in the balance of the building. It is also possible that they may have been for musicians, orchestras sitting on the wings playing the koto, biwa and flutes while the aristocracy partied.

To the rear of the Chudo, there is a tail - this also at first appears to serve no purpose, but archaelogical digs indicate that it was probably built as a passageway to a building that used to exist to the rear. The tail corridor is about 18.4 meters long and originally had an earthen-floor. When the tail corridor was restored a few centuries ago, wooden floors and kato style windows were installed.

The construction of the Chudo was believed to have been started around the Nara Period as many of the few remaining buildings from that period are designed with pavilion rooves (Hogyo zukuri). It is a Heian period building thought, and inside the Chudo there is a painting on the wall behind the principle statue that includes an image of a building that resembles the current Amitabha hall. That is to say, that the Chudo appears to have been designed to represent an image of the Amitabha's palace in the Pure Land, something that is depicted in the Kanmuryoju sutras.

Statue of the Amitabha Tathagata (Amida Nyorai): The Chudo is host to an 11th century image of the Amitabha Tathagata (Amida Nyorai/Amida Buddha). The Amitabha Tathagata is the principal object of worship. It is a masterpiece made by the artist Jocho in his later years. Jocho is believed to have been the most skillful sculptor during the Fujiwara years and the Amida image here is the sole remaining example of his works. Enjoy it, there is no other! The statue is about 3 meters high, so it too big to have been carvable from a single piece of wood. Jocho has been credited with perfecting the assembled wood technique (Yosegi zukuri) of sculpting. This involves carving one layer of wood and then another, which are joined to create a statue. This technique gave the statue a well-balanced shape and a soft, peaceful face that the aristocrats desired.

The statue is lacquered and smooth, and the sitting Amida makes a symbol with the fingers. The rahatsu hair is neat and eyelids are half closed. The mouth is perfectly formed and softly closed. The robe appears to flow. If you have a look at the Amida from across the lake, it appears to be floating, suspended in the Amitabha hall. This adds to the mystique of the temple, a place that is supposed to have been modeled after the paradise of the Pure Land.

The Bodhisatvas: There used to be 52 worshipping Bodhisattvas suspended on the frieze inside the hall, all suspended on clouds around the upper parts of the walls and shown singing, playing instruments, dancing etc. These days, half are located in the new museum adjoining the hall. Of the 52 worshipping Bodhisattvas, all but one are classified as national treasures, and they are the sole surviving group of Buddhist statues we can still see from the 11th century.

Each of the Bodhisattva is carved from a single piece of cypress. They ride on clouds with a circular halo behind their heads. Those that have been carved in a seated position are approximately 40 centimeters tall and those depicted standing are approximately 87 centimeters in height. At the time of carving, it is believed they the Bodhisattvas were coated in lacquer in a variety of colors. The Bodhisattvas symbolize an image of the pure land in a three dimensional form. It was this pure land that Yorimichi and the other these aristocrats of the period dreamed for.

Some are playing musical instruments and others are holding Buddhist artifacts; and some are making symbolic signs with the fingers and others are joining their palms in prayer. All of them are gracefully sculptured with an eye for detail. It is pretty impressive. The musical instruments include koto, biwa, tsuzumi, shoko, yokobue, kakko, odaiko, and sho. Other Bodhisattvas are shown holding lotus flowers, ban, hoju, canopy or other artifacts. Some are shown dancing while others are seated meditating.

Ajiike Pond / Pure Land Garden: The Ajiike Pond in front of the Amida Hall is believed to modeled after the Treasure Pond in the Pure Land. A pure land garden (Jyodo style) can also be seen in the Hojoji Temple, which was founded by Fujiwara Michinaga, the father of Yorimichi. Pure land gardens were original to the Heian period and it is believed that they spread throughout Japan from the influence of the garden at Byoudoin.

This garden is considered a masterpiece and a historic place of scenic beauty. The landscapes used to include the Uji river, and as borrowed scenery, still includes the hills beyond that river. Just inside the entrance, the garden includes the Ogi no Shiba (fan lawn). This small triangular shaped patch of earth (it may be called a lawn, but it isn't one) is famous for being place where Minamoto Yorimasa committed suicide (seppuku). Minamoto Yorimasa was a warrior-poet and one of the heroes of "The Tale of the Heike".

The Ajiike Pond surrounds the Amida Hall, and from the bank opposite the hall you have a vantage point that shows the face of the Amitabha Tathagata. It will appear as if the image is actually floating. The pond is also one of the reasons why the Amida Hall is still with us - it formed a very effective firebreak through the years.

As a result of painstaking archaeological excavations and literary research, it was learned that the original layout of the garden during the Heian Period involved a large open space, with the banks of the Uji river being symbolized by the stony beach "Suhama" - a beach of fist sized stones. At that time, the river itself would have had natural banks, and may have been closer to the hall, however it is unlikely that the temple would not have had a wall between the Ajiike pond and the actual river.

Two bridges, Soribashi (arched bridge) and Hirabashi (flat bridge) link the structure to the garden, and the structures have been restored to their original appearance to integrate the gardens scenes with the Amida Hall's architecture and the surrounding natural environment. This scenery envisions the image of the Pure Land, which used to be longed for by aristocrats in those days.

The garden and reflective pond, were intended to bring to mind the pure land. Considering the surrounding scenery, the beauty of the temple and the appearance of a levitating amida, it is easy to see how the people of the time viewed Byoudou-in.

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