Shuon’an: Hondo (Main Hall)
The Hondo Main Hall, built between 1429 and 1441, is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Its construction is believed to have been ordered due to the religious conversion of the shogun at the time and is the oldest extant example of Chinese Tang-style temple architecture in the Yamashiro and Yamato areas (southern region of Kyoto prefecture including parts of Nara prefecture). Tang-style architecture is perhaps most distinguishable by the gable and hip roof covered in cypress bark. Enshrined in the hall is Shuon’an Ikkyuji Temple’s principal deity, a wooden statue of Shaka Nyorai in a seated position. Shaka Nyorai is the Japanese name for the historical Buddha, or Prince Siddhartha, the founder of Buddhism.