b) Description and inventory

G. Ninna-ji Ninna-ji was completed by the Emperor Uda in 888 and consecrated as an imperial temple. After his abdication, Emperor Uda became a Buddhist priest and took up residence at Ninna-ji. From that time until the Meiji Restoration (1868), the temple always had an imperial prince as its resident head priest (monzeki), and was known as the "Omuro (monastery quarters where a noble person lives) Palace". All of the buildings within the premises were destroyed in the Onin War (1467-1477). The current buildings were reconstructed in the period between 1641 to 1644. As part of this reconstruction, both the Kondo (main hall) and the Ninna-ji Goten (temple residential complex, which burned down in 1887) were moved to Ninna-ji from the imperial palace, where they had originally served as the Shishinden (main hall for state ceremonies) and the Tsunegoten (the residential building containing the emperor's living quarters). Also, the Seiryoden (the residential building reserved for formal functions) was moved from the palace grounds to Ninna-ji and remodeled to construct the Mieido (sect finder's hall). The Niomon (gate), the Chumon (middle gate), and the Gojunoto (five-storied pagoda) were constructed at this time. In 1693 and 1742, repairs were carried out on the temple buildings. In the modern age, several temple buildings were either partially or totally dismantled and repaired; included among these were the Kondo(1914), the Niomon (1938), and the Mieido (1951). The Kondo (G1), designated as a National Treasure, is a large scale structure 7 bays across the front by 5 bays on the sides. It has shitomido (top-hinged, outswinging windows) on four sides and minoki (eaves constructed with a triple-layer rafter system). Although during reconstruction the roof was covered with tiles rather than the cypress-bark shingles of the original Shishinden of the imperial palace, the Kondo is highly valued as historically important due to the fact that it retains the imperial palace style of the Momoyama Period. In addition to this National Treasure, 14 buildings, including the Mieido, are designated as Important Cultural Properties.

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