Buddhist temple

A Buddhist temple is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of a Buddha. Traditional Buddhist temples are designed to inspire inner and outer peace. Its structure and architecture varies from region to region. Usually, the temple consists not only of its buildings, but also the surrounding environment.

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Buddhist temples in Japan

Along with Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples in Japan are considered by everyone to be among the most numerous, famous and important religious buildings. The Japanese word for a Buddhist temple is tera (寺), and the same kanji also has the pronunciation ji, so temple names often end with -ji or -dera. There is also another ending, -in (院, normally used for minor temples). Famous temples as Enryaku-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, and Kōtoku-in illustrate the naming patterns.

Buddhist and Shinto structures

In Japan Buddhist temples exist side to side with Shinto shrines, and both share the basic features of Japanese traditional architecture. Not only can torii, the gates usually associated only with Shinto, be found at both, but the entrance to a shrine can be marked by a rōmon, a gate which is Buddhist in origin and can therefore very often be found also at temples. Some shrines, for example Iwashimizu Hachiman-gū, have a Buddhist-style main gate called sōmon. Many temples have a temizuya and komainu, like a shrine. Some shrines vice versa make use of incense or have a belltower as a temple. Some shrines, for example Tanzan Jinja in Nara, even have a pagoda.