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Kannon Hall at Shorinji-Temple / Japan
Akira KURYU / KITAGAWA & UEDA ARCHITECT ASSOCIATES Co.,Ltd. / Japan
Further images
DFA Design for Asia Awards 2023 l Bronze Award l Spatial Design l Institutional Space
DELIVRANCE FROM SUFFERING
In the Shorinji-Temple in Nara Prefecture, Kannon Hall is a sacred sanctuary containing one of Japan’s most revered statues of Buddha, the Eleven-headed Kannon, the bodhisattva of mercy. Carved in 760s and then designated a national treasure, it was brought here from the Ogami Shrine 150 years ago, and recent renovations have fortified it against seismic threats, while the new extension facilitates prayer, bridging the spiritual connection of millennia past for today's devotees.