Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism)

Hondō is its exact Japanese equivalent, while the others are more specialized words used by particular sects or for edifices having a particular structure.

The origin of the name is uncertain, but it may derive from the perceived preciousness of its content, or from the fact that the interior was lined with gold.

The use of kondō declined after the 10th century, when it was replaced by a hondō divided in naijin (内陣, inner sanctuary reserved to the deity) and gejin (外陣, space for worshipers, like the nave).

[2] Various new types of temple buildings, including the hondō, were built during the Heian period, in response to the requirements of new doctrines.

[note 2][2] The Tokugawa funeral temple of Kan'ei-ji, which had been built explicitly to imitate Enryaku-ji, also had one, though it has not survived.

There are following types of butsuden or butsu-dō: In the case of the Ōbaku Zen school that arrived late in Japan, the architecture retained the Ming Chinese style.