Kōryū-ji
Buddhist temple in Kyōto, Japan
Kōryū-ji (広隆寺) is a Shingon temple in Uzumasa, Ukyō Ward, Kyoto, Japan. The temple is also known by the names Uzumasa-dera (太秦寺) and Kadono-dera (葛野寺), and was formerly known as Hatanokimi-dera (秦公寺), Hachioka-dera (蜂岡寺) and Hōkō-ji (蜂岡寺).
Kōryū-ji is said to be the oldest temple in Kyoto, having been constructed in 603 by Hata no Kawakatsu upon receiving a Buddhist statue from Prince Shōtoku. Fires in 818 and 1150 destroyed the entire temple complex, but it was rebuilt several times since.
History
The prevailing theory is that Kōryū-ji was founded in the first half of the 7th century near the present-day Hirano Shrine in Kita-ku, Kyoto (identified as the site of the "Kitano Temple ruins"), and moved to its current location around the time of the Heian-kyō foundation. Initially, the temple's principal image was Miroku Bosatsu, but around the time of its relocation, it became a temple centered on Yakushi Nyorai, and it also became a temple centered on the worship of Prince Shōtoku. The principal image of the Jōgūō-in, which is the current main hall of Kōryū-ji, is a statue of Prince Shōtoku. The "Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Teisetsu" lists Hachioka-dera (Kōryū-ji) as one of the "Seven Great Temples Established by Prince Shotoku."
While texts such as the "Nihon Shoki" confirmed that it was a family temple of the Hata clan established by Hata no Kawakatsu, many points remain unclear due to the loss of ancient records in a fire in 818. The Hata clan was a toraijin immigrant clan, whose origins are theorized as from Han China, Silla or Baekje. They possessed skills in sericulture, weaving, sake brewing, and water management.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Kōryū-ji” is buddhist temple in Kyōto, Japan. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Kōryū-ji, Buddhist and temple, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “buddhist temple in Kyōto, Japan” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3076920. VIAF identifies the subject as 148922718. The Library of Congress control number is n80090788. Authority coordinates are 35.016, 135.707. 2 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1150.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Kōryū-ji” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.