Doyadoya
どやどや
2 of 2 pages
Shitennoji
temple and Prince Shotoku In
593 Prince Shotoku ordered the construction of Shitennoji temple which
is the oldest officially administered Buddhist temple in The
Four Heavenly Kings are protectors of Buddhist law and humankind. They
are depicted as warriors wearing armour, carrying military weapons, and
standing with one foot crushing a demon beast. Jikokuten with a sword is
the guardian of the east and maintains the world. Zochoten with a spear
guards the south and relieves people of their suffering. Komokuten with
a writing brush in his right hand and a sutra scroll in his left guards
the west and sees through evil. Tamonten with a treasure in his left
hand and a spear in his right guards the north and listens to prayers
and protects holy places. Jikokuten is green, Zochoten white, Komokuten
red, and Tamonten blue. Prince
Shotoku was the second child of Emperor Tachibana no Toyohi and Imperial
Princess Anahobe. It is said that as a child he could listen to ten
people talking to him at once and that he was able to predict the
future. At the age of 18, he became Crown Prince and Regent for Empress
Suiko. This position gave him de facto control of the Japanese
government. In 604 Prince Shotoku issued his Seventeen-Article
Constitution, which established a moral basis and political foundation
for a sound Japanese government for the next 1400 years. Before his
death in 622 Prince Shotoku had built 46 temples throughout the
Nara-Osaka region |