Byōdō-in

Temple Kyoto, Japan

Byōdō-in (平等院) is a Buddhist temple in the city of Uji built in late Heian period; it is a temple of the Jōdo-shū (Pure Land) and Tendai-shū sects at the same time. A striking example of Buddhist Pure Land (Jodo) architecture, together with its garden, the temple represented the Pure Land Paradise and was instrumental on later temple construction. Byodoin was initially built in 998 as a countryside retreat villa for the powerful politician Fujiwara no Michinaga, not as a temple; his son turned Byodoin into a temple and ordered the creation of its most spectacular feature, the Phoenix Hall.