Buddhist temples in Japan

Buddhist temples or monasteries are (along with Shinto shrines) the most numerous, famous, and important religious buildings in Japan.^{[note 1]} The shogunates or leaders of Japan have made it a priority to update and rebuild Buddhist temples since the Momoyama period (late 16th century).^[1] The Japanese word for a Buddhist monastery is tera (寺) (kun reading), and the same kanji also has the pronunciation ji (on reading), so temple names frequently end in -dera or -ji. Another ending, -in (院), is normally used to refer to minor temples. Examples of temple names that have these suffixes are Kiyomizu-dera, Enryaku-ji and Kōtoku-in.

Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).

^ Mason, Penelope (2005). History of Japanese Art. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education. p. 305. ISBN 0-13-117601-3.

[2] Mason, Penelope (2005). History of Japanese Art. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education. p. 305. ISBN 0-13-117601-3.

[note 1]

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