This project is a Buddhist temple and ossuary for the??Jodo-shu?, a Buddhist sect. The site is located on a?slopein Sasebo, Nagasaki, surrounded by a dense residential area. In addition, the ossuary, the temple premises and the residences are separated by ponds, and the reflection of the sunlight is thrown on the floor of the ossuary through the glass windows. Generally, temples of the ?Jodo-shu? are planned to face east so that when praying at the main hall, the prayers would naturally face the Western Paradise (a paradise in the Jodo sect which is supposed to be located in the far west of our world). In contrast, due to the direction of the slope, this temple faces west. However, by adding a cinnabar-coloured finish to the inner part of the grid inset in the temple gate, and with the help of the light of the setting sun through the stairway and the temple premises, the stairway space, the temple premises and the main hall are all lit up in cinnabar.
© Hiroshi Ito

Architects: Furuichi and Associates

Location: Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan

Project Year: 2003

Photographs: Hiroshi Ito

Construction: Tomita Mente

Structure: Umezawa Structural Engineers lab.

© Hiroshi Ito

From the architect. This project is a Buddhist temple and ossuary for the??Jodo-shu?, a Buddhist sect. The site is located o...