Kyōzō

The Kyozo (Japanese経 蔵, dt " Sutralager "), even Kyoko (経 库, German ditto), Kyodo (経 堂, dt " Sutra Hall " ) or Zōden (蔵 殿, dt " warehouse " ), is in the traditional Japanese temple architecture of the repository of Buddhist treatises ( sutras ) and chronicles of the temple district.

The models of the Asian mainland following, addressed to the early Buddhist temples of Japan ( Shichidō guaranteed ) strictly symmetrically. The main building, such as the lecture hall ( Kodo ), the main hall ( hondo or Kondō ), the pagoda ( Tō ) and the gateway ( Chūmon ) were symmetrical to, or along, aligned north- south main axis. The west of the axis of the Kyozo was often positioned while on the east side of the bell tower ( shoro ) can be found. The West also symbolizes the sky direction from which come the teachings of the Buddha. Since the north stood with his cold winds of evil influences, the entrance to a temple was mostly south.

At least but with the advent of the teachings of the so-called Vajrayana ( esoteric Buddhism), for example, the Tendai and Shingon, and previously by the Zen, in the course of which temples were founded in the mountains of Japan, was solved from this symmetrical arrangement, where the Kyozo remained part of many traditional temples.