Hondō at Sanjūsangen-dō in Kyoto


Hondō at Sanjūsangen-dō in Kyoto

Looking north from the south east side of the hondō (main hall) at Sanjūsangen-dō in Kyoto. The extremely long (120 meters) hall dates from 1266 and houses 1001 thousand-armed Kannon among other treasures. The bulk are laid out in 10 rows, with 50 columns on each half of the building. Miyamoto Musashi is believed to have fought a famous duel outside the temple, but dramatizations often show the battle taking place along the walkways of the hondō. The temple continues to host an archery festival every year. Over the centuries, not every arrow found its mark and there is a display inside the hondō showing replaced roof beams that look like pin cushions from all of the arrow shafts that became embedded.



Latitude, Longitude: 34.9871996163944,135.77191120855