Kondō

(noun)

Usually the main hall of a Buddhist temple (literally "golden hall"), which started to be used during the Asuka and Nara periods.

Related Terms

Examples of Kondō in the following topics:

  • Horyuji Temple

    • The western part of the temple contains the Kondō (sanctuary hall) and the temple's five-story pagoda.
    • One of the most notable is its layout: while most Japanese temples of the period were arranged like their Chinese and Korean prototypes—with the main gate, a pagoda, the main hall, and the lecture hall on a straight line—the reconstructed Hōryū-ji breaks from those patterns by arranging the Kondō (main hall) and pagoda side by side in the courtyard.
    • The kondō, located side-by-side to the pagoda in Sai-in, is another one of the oldest wood buildings extant in the world.
    • The two-storied kondō is another one of the oldest wood buildings extant in the world.