Sanjusangen-do’s long wooden hall contains an extraordinary assembly of Buddhist images, arranged around a central statue of Kannon. Its measured rhythm of pillars and figures turns the interior into a space of devotion and sustained looking.
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The hall’s name refers to its thirty-three bays, a count visible in the long rhythm of its exterior. Sanjusangen-do was built in 1164 under the retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa and rebuilt after a fire in the thirteenth century.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- Sanjusangen-do was constructed in 1164.
- The present hall was rebuilt after a fire about 80 years later.
- The interior centers on Kannon and rows of attendant images.
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