Common temple features Buddhist temples in Japan

buddhist temple of kinkaku-ji, declared world heritage site unesco.



butsuden or butsu-dō (仏殿・仏堂) – lit. hall of buddha .

a zen temple s main hall. seems have 2 stories, has in fact 1 , measures either 3×3 or 5×5 bays.
any building enshrining statue of buddha or of bodhisattva , dedicated prayer.


chinjusha (鎮守社/鎮主社) – small shrine built @ buddhist temple , dedicated tutelary kami.
chōzuya (手水舎) – see temizuya.
chūmon (中門) – in temple, gate after naindaimon connected kairō. see mon.
dō (堂) – lit. hall. suffix name of buildings part of temple. prefix can name of deity associated (e.g. yakushi-dō, or yakushi hall) or express building s function within temple s compound (e.g. hon-dō, or main hall). see butsu-dō, hō-dō, hon-dō, jiki-dō, kaisan-dō, kō-dō, kon-dō, kyō-dō, mandara-dō, miei-dō, mi-dō, sō-dō, yakushi-dō , zen-dō.
garan – see shichi-dō garan.
hattō (法堂) – lit. dharma hall . building dedicated lectures chief priest on buddhism s scriptures (the hō).
hōjō (方丈) – living quarters of head priest of zen temple.
hokke-dō (法華堂) – lit. lotus sūtra hall . in tendai buddhism, hall layout allows walking around statue meditation. purpose of walking concentrate on hokekyō , seek ultimate truth.
honbō (本坊) – residence of jushoku, or head priest, of temple.
kairō (回廊・廻廊) – long , roofed portico-like passage connecting 2 buildings.
kaisan-dō (開山堂) – founder s hall, @ zen temple. building enshrining statue, portrait or memorial tablet of founder of either temple or sect belongs to. jōdo sect temples call miei-dō.
karamon (唐門) – generic term gate arched roof. see mon.
karesansui (枯山水) – lit. dry landscape. japanese rock garden, present in zen temples, , found in temples of other sects too.
katōmado (華頭窓) – bell shaped window developed @ zen temples in china, used other buddhist sects in lay buildings.
kon-dō (金堂) – lit. golden hall , main hall of garan, housing main object of worship. unlike butsuden, true two-story building (although second story may missing) measuring 9×7 bays.
konrō (軒廊) – covered corridor between 2 buildings
korō or kurō (鼓楼) – tower housing drum marks passing of time. used face shōrō , lie next kō-dō, drum kept in rōmon.
kuin* (庫院) – kitchen/office of zen garan. building hosting galleys, kitchen, , offices of temple. situated in front , side of butsuden, facing sō-dō. called kuri.
kuri (庫裏) – see kuin
kyō-dō (経堂) – see kyōzō.
kyōzō (経蔵) – lit. scriptures deposit . repository of sūtras , books temple s history. called kyō–dō.
miei-dō (御影堂) – lit. image hall . building housing image of temple s founder, equivalent zen sect s kaisan-dō.
mi-dō (御堂) – generic honorific term building enshrines sacred statue.
miroku nyorai (弥勒如来) – japanese name of maitreya.
mon (門) – temple s gate, can named after position (nandaimon: lit. great southern gate ), structure (nijūmon: 2 storied gate ), deity (niōmon: lit. nio gate ), or use (onarimon: lit. imperial visit gate , gate reserved emperor). same gate can therefore described using more 1 term. example, niōmon can @ same time nijūmon.
nandaimon (南大門) – main southern gate of temple, in particular @ nara s tōdai-ji. see mon.
nijūmon (二重門) – two-storied gate roof surrounding first floor. see mon.
niōmon (仁王門 or 二王門) – two-storied or high gate guarded 2 wooden guardians called niō. see mon.
noborirō (登廊) – covered stairway @ nara s hase-dera.
pagoda – see stupa , tō.
rōmon (楼門) - high gate 2 floors, 1 of has usable space, surrounded balcony , topped roof. buddhist in origin, used in shinto shrines.
sai-dō (斎堂) – refectory @ zen temple or monastery. see jiki-dō.
sandō （参道）- approach leading torii shrine. term used @ buddhist temples too.
sanmon (三門 or 山門) – gate in front of butsuden. name short sangedatsumon (三解脱門), lit. gate of 3 liberations. 3 openings (kūmon (空門), musōmon (無相門) , muganmon (無願門)) symbolize 3 gates enlightenment. entering, 1 can free himself 3 passions (貪 ton, or greed, 瞋 shin, or hatred, , 癡 chi, or foolishness ). see mon. size depends on temple s rank. (see photos.)
sanrō (山廊) – small buildings @ ends of two-storied zen gate containing stairs second story.
sekitō (石塔) – stone pagoda (stupa). see tō
shichidō garan (七堂伽藍) – double compound term literally meaning 7 halls (七堂) , (temple) buildings (伽藍). counted in group of 7 buildings, or shichidō, can vary temple temple , school school. in practice, shichidō garan can mean large complex.

nanto rokushū , later non-zen schools: shichidō garan in case includes kon-dō, tō, kō-dō, shōrō, jiki-dō, sōbō, , kyōzō.
zen schools: zen shichidō garan includes butsuden or butsu-dō, hattō, ku in, sō-dō, sanmon, tōsu , yokushitsu.


shoin (書院) – study , place lectures on sutra within temple, later term came mean study.
shōrō (鐘楼) – temple s belfry, building bell hung.
sōbō (僧坊) – monks living quarters in non-zen garan
sō-dō (僧堂) – lit. monk hall . building dedicated practice of zazen. used dedicated kinds of activities, eating sleeping, centered on zazen.
sōmon (総門) – gate @ entrance of temple. precedes bigger , more important sanmon. see mon.
sōrin (相輪) – spire reaching center of roof of temple halls, tiered pagoda.
sotoba or sotōba (卒塔婆) – transliteration of sanskrit stupa.

a pagoda. tower odd number of tiers (three, five, 7 nine, or thirteen). see stupa.
strips of wood left behind tombs during annual ceremonies (tsuizen) symbolizing stupa. upper part segmented pagoda , carries sanskrit inscriptions, sutras, , kaimyō (posthumous name) of deceased.

in present-day japanese, sotoba has latter meaning.

stupa – in origin vessel buddha s relics, later receptacle scriptures , other relics. shape changed in far east under influence of chinese watchtower form tower-like structures tōbuttō, gorintō, hōkyōintō, sekitō, tō, or simpler wooden stick-style sotoba.
tatchū (塔頭 or 塔中)

in zen temples, building containing pagoda enshrining ashes of important priest stands.
later, became subsidiary temple or minor temple depending larger one.
finally, became subsidiary temple being family temple (bodaiji) of important family.


tahōtō (多宝塔) – two-storied pagoda ground floor having dome-shaped ceiling , square pent roof, round second floor , square roofs.
temizuya (手水舎) – fountain near entrance of shrine , temple worshipers can cleanse hands , mouths before worship.
tesaki (手先) – term used count roof-supporting brackets (tokyō (斗きょう)) projecting temple s wall, composed of 2 steps (futatesaki (二手先）)) or 3 (mitesaki 三津手先).
tokyō (斗きょう) – see tesaki.
torii (鳥居)- iconic shinto gate @ entrance of sacred area, usually, not always, shrine. shrines of various size can found next to, or inside temples.
tōrō (灯籠) – lantern @ shrine or buddhist temple. of forms influenced gorintō.
-tō (塔)

a pagoda, , evolution of stupa. after reaching china, stupa evolved tower odd number of tiers (three, five, seven, nine, thirteen), excepted tahōtō, has two.
the word used suffix of numeral indicating number of pagoda s tiers (three tiers= san-jū-no-tō, 5 tiers= go-jū-no-tō, 7 tiers = nana-jū-no-tō, etc.).


tōsu or tōshi (東司) – zen monastery s toilet.
yakushi-dō (薬師堂) – building enshrines statue of yakushi nyorai.*
yokushitsu* (浴室) – monastery s bathroom.
zen-dō (禅堂) – lit. hall of zen . building monks practice zazen, , 1 of main structures of zen garan.




^ cite error: named reference kojien invoked never defined (see page).
^ jaanus
^ fujita & koga 2008, pp. 84–85