Komyo-Ji Pure Land Temple

By Tadao Ando - 11 January 2010

My brief was to reconstruct this 250 year old pure land temple of the Edo period in the city of Saijo, the gateway to Mount Ishizuchi, known for its mild climate and abundant natural springs. The temple was in such disrepair it had to be rebuilt, along with the adjoining guest hall and priests’ quarters. Although restoration was a monumental undertaking, destined to be passed down to future generations, the temple’s chief priest had no specific requirements regarding the architecture. He simply noted that the temple “should be a place where people can come together; a temple open to the community”.
As a “place where people can come together”, our new temple appears to float on the water like a mirage, shrouded in gentle light. The main building, guest hall, chapel, priests’ quarters and other ancillary structures “hover” over a spring-fed pond, echoing the two essential features of the local landscape: water and wood. Accordingly, the main theme is exploring space with wood. Although there was no requirement to copy the existing temple architectural style, I wanted to respect what had been built up over time.
In my view, the essence of traditional Japanese wooden architecture is “assembly”. Buildings comprise numerous wooden parts, taking shape as these are fitted together. An example of how this method was refined into an exquisite, powerful building system is the Nandaimon, the great south gate of the Todai-ji temple, and the Jodo-do of Jodo-ji Temple designed by the medieval monk, Chogen. I wanted to create a space that would return to the origins of wooden architecture: a single structure comprising many parts, each full of tension. The framework of the main building also had to express the idea of people gathering and joining hands, supporting each other in a single community.
After considering various alternatives, the scheme devised for the main building was a large space with three layers of interlocking beams supported by 16 columns in...