Daishido (Founder's Hall)
Architecture大師堂 ・ Reading: だいしどう
Definition
A hall dedicated to Kobo Daishi (Kukai). On the Shikoku pilgrimage it is honored alongside the main hall at every temple.
What it is
A Daishido is a hall dedicated to Kobo Daishi, the honorific title of Kukai, the monk who founded the Shingon school of Buddhism. The name simply means "Great Teacher's Hall". You will find one at temples with a Shingon connection, and above all at the temples of the Shikoku pilgrimage, where a Daishido stands at every stop. Inside is usually a statue of the Daishi seated in monk's robes, often holding a staff and a rosary.
What to look for
The Daishido sits a little apart from the main hall, and pilgrims treat the two as a pair. On Shikoku the custom is to pay respects at the main hall first, then at the Daishido, offering a candle, incense and a slip of paper, and reciting a short verse at each. This second stop reflects the belief that Kukai still walks the route beside every pilgrim, a companionship expressed in the phrase "two travelling together". Do not confuse the Daishido with the main hall itself, which enshrines the temple's principal image rather than the Daishi, or with a Miedo, a portrait hall honouring a school's founder more generally.
Common questions
- What is a Daishidō at a Japanese temple?
- A Daishidō is a hall dedicated to Kōbō Daishi, the honorific title of the monk Kūkai, who founded the Shingon school of Buddhism. It is common at Shingon temples and enshrines an image of the Daishi so that visitors can pay their respects to him.
- Why do Shikoku pilgrims pray at the Daishidō as well as the main hall?
- On the Shikoku pilgrimage, pilgrims hold that Kōbō Daishi still accompanies them along the route, a belief captured in the phrase dōgyō ninin, meaning two travelling together. Because of this, at every temple they worship twice, once at the main hall and once at the Daishidō.
- Who is honoured in a Daishidō?
- A Daishidō honours Kōbō Daishi, the honorific title of Kūkai, the founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism in Japan. The hall usually contains a seated image of him, often shown holding a ritual staff and a string of prayer beads.