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法隆寺東院は奈良時代以降に建てられた伽藍である。それ故、西院伽藍の主要建築と比べ「組物」の構造等に大きな違いもがあり、また使用されている建材もいくらか細身のものになっているように思う。西院の建物に力強さ、素朴さを感じるのと比べると、東院の建物はより繊細さの方向に移行しているようだ。
その中でも「夢殿」(国宝)として知られる八角堂は、「繊細さ」という雰囲気を顕著に表しているように思う。素朴さと神聖な雰囲気を兼ね備えた西院伽藍を見た後でこの「夢殿」を見ると、それはあたかも建築の「宝石」のような気がしてくる。
それにしても「夢殿」という名の美しさ。この名前に、「名付けの逸話」を求める必要はないだろう。その八角堂の佇まいが名を表しているように思う。
なお、「夢殿」の南側にある堂宇は「礼堂」で、北側にある絵殿・舎利殿、周囲を取り囲む廻廊と共に鎌倉期の建築で重要文化財となっている。
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The eight islands of Japan sprang into existence through Divine Intervention.The first two gods who came into existence were Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto, the Exalted Male and Exalted Female. It was their job to make the land for people to live on.They went to the bridge between heaven and earth and, using a jewel-encrusted halberd, Izanagi and Izanami churned up the sea into a frothy foam. As salty drips of water fell from the tip of the halberd the first island was formed. Its name was Onogoro.So far, so good. But when Izanagi and Izanami first met on their island, Izanami spoke to Isanagi without being spoken to first. Since she was the female, and this was improper, their first union created badly-formed offspring who were sent off into the sea in boats.The next time they met, Izanagi was sure to speak first, ensuring the proper rules were followed, and this time they produced eight children, which became the islands of Japan.I'm sure you did not fail to miss the significance of this myth for the establishment of Japanese formal society.At present, Japan is the financial capital of Asia. It has the second largest economy in the world and the largest metropolitan area (Tokyo.)Technically there are three thousand islands making up the Japanese archipelago. Izanagi and Izanami must have been busy little devils with their jewelled halberd...Japan's culture is highly technical and organized. Everything sparkles and swooshes on silent, miniaturized mechanisms.They're a world leader in robotics, and the Japanese have the longest life-expectancy on earth.Text by Steve Smith.
