Date : 1285
Material : Wood
| 舎利殿
Item 14 on 21
Place(s) of worship
Buildings (Temple)
Area related
Kamakura (Japon)
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| Description |  |
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The Shariden, the centerpiece of entire Engakuji, is the oldest building in the whole Engakuji complex and the only building in Kamakura that is designated as a National Treasure. The original one, which no longer exists, was built in 1285 by Sadatoki Hojo, but ruined by the 1563 fire.
The existing structure was first constructed in the early 15th century as the main hall of Taiheiji nunnery, which was situated at Nishi Mikado and once listed on the top of the Five Great Nunneries in Kamakura, but was abolished after the chief nun was abducted during the 1556 battle waged among the local warlords. With no chief nun, the nunnery was on the brink of dilapidation, and it was the Temple that volunteered to take over the structure in the latter half of 16th century. The steep slope of roof with shingles indicates something of a Sung-style Chinese architecture. With the double-deck roofs, it seems like a two-story structure, but it is not. Indeed, it is the oldest Chinese-style building in Japan and that is the main reason for being enrolled on the list of National Treasures.
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The principal object of worship is a statue of Birushana Butsu or Vairocana, flanked by Kan'non Bosatsu on the right and Jizo Bosatsu on the left. Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to go through the gate except for New Year Days and early November when the Temple's treasures are on view. Even on these special occasions, paying a 500-yen fee, there is a rope hanging around the structure and going inside the structure is not permitted.
Shari is Sarira in Skt., and denotes sacred ashes of Shaka (Sakyamuni). Shariden, therefore, should means a hall that is dedicated to the ashes of Sakyamuni. However, there is no such ashes any more. The world famous Kinkakuji or the Temple of Golden Pavilion in Kyoto is also a Shariden. Meanwhile, in April 1998, Japanese newspapers reported that Taiwan Buddhist priests held a grand ceremony in Taipei in honor of the arrival of a tooth relic of the Lord Buddha, believed to be one of only three that still exist. Other temples that say they keep Buddha's ashes are: The Temple of the Tooth near Lake Kandy, Sri Lanka that claims it keeps the left eye-tooth of Sakyamuni and Fa Men Temple in X'ian Shaanxi Province, China.
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