Kōryū-ji

For other temples named Hōkō-ji, see Hōkō-ji (disambiguation).

Kōryū-ji (広隆寺) is a Shingon temple in Uzumasa, Ukyō Ward, Kyoto, Japan. The temple is also known by the names Uzumasa-dera (太秦寺)^[1] and Kadono-dera (葛野寺), and was formerly known as Hatanokimi-dera (秦公寺), Hachioka-dera (蜂岡寺) and Hōkō-ji (蜂岡寺).

Kōryū-ji is said to be the oldest temple in Kyoto, having been constructed in 603 by Hata no Kawakatsu upon receiving a Buddhist statue from Prince Shōtoku. Fires in 818 and 1150 destroyed the entire temple complex, but it was rebuilt several times since.^[2]

Wooden statue of Bodhisattva

A statue of the bodhisattva Maitreya, at Kōryū-ji

Main articles: Gilt-bronze Maitreya in Meditation (National Treasure No. 83) and Hata clan

The temple contains a number of important pieces of cultural heritage. One of the national treasures of Japan (registered on June 9, 1951), a wooden image of the Bodhisattva Maitreya sitting contemplatively in the half-lotus position, called "Hōkan Miroku" (宝冠弥勒) is amongst the rare objects that are preserved and displayed at Kōryū-ji.^[2]

The statue is said to have been gifted from Silla to Japan in the early 7th century according to the Nihon Shoki,^[3] and is believed to be in the possession of Kōryū-ji due to the statue being a gift from Silla to the Hata clan, a diaspora of the kingdom and the clan that built the temple.^[4]

The temple is also renowned for its Bull Festival (牛祭, ushi matsuri), traditionally held in mid-October, but currently suspended.^[5]