Maya’s Journey

The Jodo-do Hall of Jodo-ji Temple is a classic example of Daibutsu-yo (Great Buddha style) architecture, built by the Buddhist monk Chōgen (1121-1206) with the aim of reviving the authority of Todai-ji Temple in Nara. In the interior are enshrined an Amida trio (the celestial Buddha Amida Nyorai flanked by Kannon and Seishi) of the standard joroku size (one jo and six shaku, approx. 4.85 meters). In the evening, the light of the western sky comes in through the latticed windows at the rear of the hall, turning the entire interior crimson and gold. The Amida trio glow against this luminous background, evoking the way they would appear when descending to welcome the dead to the Pure Land.
An age survey of tree rings indicates that these architectural elements were made with trees felled in 1195 or 1196 in Suo (present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture).
The story also features a scene in which the Amida Nyorai descends from the sky at sunset.