Nishi Hongwanji in Kyoto Suffers Some Storm Damage

September 5, 2018, Information from Online Sources as Shown. English language reports on the effects of Tropical Storm Jebi on Japan made news circuits starting September 4 as the storm hit areas of Kobe, Osaka, and Kyoto. The storm has been described as the worst in 25 years. A number of reports identify some damage at Nishi Hongwanji. This is the head Temple for Jodo Shinshu in Kyoto, and a number of Temple members and Dharma friends have visited there previously. In the bigger picture, this historic Temple fared better than many other structures damaged during the storm.

In the video posted above, available from the NHK post, the narrator explains that a theater structure was damaged on the Nishi Hongwanji grounds. (There are two Noh stages associated with the Temple complex.)  The foreground of the picture shows what remains of a wall with a tiled roof or covering. 

The photo below, from a similar vantage, shows the edge of the theater structure on the far right.

Caption: "This photo shows a collapsed wall on the southern side of the south Noh stage, a Japanese important cultural property, at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Nishi Honganji Temple in Kyoto, on Sept. 5, 2018. (Kyodo [news organization])."  From "Western Japan Businesses Reeling from After-Effects of Typhoon Jebi," The Mainichi, Sept. 5, 2018.  Copyright 2018 The Mainichi Newspapaers Co., all rights reserved. Image and caption used here, permission pending.

No reports have been found about damage to the main structures at the headquarters Temple, nor to the north Noh stage (said to be the oldest such stage still in existence, moved to the Temple complex centuries ago). 

We are likely to see more information over the days ahead from BCA or posted on the Nishi Hongwanji's English language site. Currently (as of this writing) it is close to 2 a.m. on September 6 in Kyoto; a live camera feed at the Temple shows a clear and serene night-time sky.

~ Compiled by Bill Teague