Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/599

 CHAP. V. JAPANESE TEMPLES. 493 illustrations in a Japanese meischo or guidebook which repre- sented the Buddhist temple of Ikegami near Tokio. The Soshi-do or founder's hall (Fig. 5) is celebrated as the spot where the Buddhist saint Nichiren died in 1282 A.D. It will be noted here that the roofs of all the structures are of the rrimoya type, as shown in Woodcut No. 490. Another remarkable example is the temple at Miyajima or Itsuku-shima which was built on an island, and here the Tori-i, which precedes all the Shintd temples, and sometimes the Buddhist, stands right out in the sea, the temple being built on piles as the various other structures, all of which are connected by open galleries, the whole temple being surrounded by water at high tide. The general design of the Japanese temples and mausolea (for in many cases the more important buildings within the enclosure are the burial-places of the Daimyos or Princes), corresponds closely with those in China, where the roof is always the ruling feature, and dictates the number and position of the columns provided to carry it. There would seem to be some definite standard probably regulated by the Ken or mat with which the floors are covered, and this prescribes the intercolumniation of the columns and supports. Sometimes the temple block is divided into three halls, the oratory (Hatderi) one intervening hall and the sanctuary (Hondo) with the reliquary shrine, and these all come under one roof, an arrangement not found in China. The main level of the floor of the temple is always raised from 4 to 6 ft. above the ground, so that a flight of steps is required in front leading to the entrance doors of the oratory, and to a verandah carried round the whole structure, over which the widely projecting eaves of the roof projects. This verandah is generally carried on projecting brackets attached to the main columns of the temple which are supported on isolated stone piers and bases, and not on a continuous wall such as exists in all European foundation walls. Sometimes in addition to this verandah or gallery there is a colonnaded loggia along the front of the building extending down the sides, the roof of this loggia sloping like that of the main roof. The ancient temple of Horiuji (Plate LX.) is thus planned, and the inner row of columns being much loftier than those in the front, give the appearance of an upper storey. The same arrangement is found occasionally in later examples as in the Nishi Hongwanji temples at Nagoya and Kio-to, thus retaining the traditional features of the Chinese temples with their double eaves. In front of the temple and over the flight of steps leading thereto is a portico carried by columns over which a portion of the main roof is prolonged, and this during the Toku - gawa