Who was that priest? Upon exiting Kintetsu Nara station, we find our eye drawn immediately to a rather unique fountain, shaped like an idealized Mount Fuji and surmounted by the statue of a Buddhist priest. This is the priest Gyōki, who lends his name to this popular meeting point, “Gyōki-hiroba” or Gyōki square.
Gyōki was born in southern Osaka in 668, and became a monk at Asuka-dera temple in Nara at the age of 15. On completing 20 years of study, he returned to his hometown and established his own temple in 704. Using this as his base and accompanied by a group of volunteers, Gyōki embarked on a journey around Japan spreading Buddhist philosophy and aiding the poor and needy. Although Gyōki and his followers established many temples, monasteries and other public utilities, his philanthropic actions were not sanctioned by the Buddhist office of priestly affairs, or “Sōgō”, and therefore deemed illegal, which initially lead to a degree of persecution by the authorities. However, due to his good deeds, popularity and administrative skills Gyōki was eventually pardoned, and in later years actually elevated to the position of “Daisōjō” or Supreme patriarch, the highest level of priesthood in the country.
In 743, when Emperor Shomu commissioned the construction of the Great Buddha statue, he enlisted the help of Gyōki and his adherents to travel the land organizing contributions of labour and resources from the populace.
Although Gyōki proved very successful at this task, he never got to see the final fruits of his endeavour, passing away in 748 at the age of 80. Consecrated in 752 and now resplendent in Todaiji temple, the Great Buddha sits in magisterial testimony to Gyōki’s efforts. Posthumously granted the title of “Bosatsu” (Bodhisattva), Gyōki is remembered to this day as a Buddhist saint.
A statue commemorating Gyōki and his achievements was first erected outside the station after the building’s redevelopment in 1970. That figure was made of Akahada-yaki, traditional porcelain from Nara, but was replaced with a bronze sculpture in 1995 after the original was damaged. It is that statue that stands atop the fountain to this day.
So, if you find yourself waiting for someone in Gyōki-square, be sure to tip a nod to its namesake, and spare a thought for Gyōki Bosatsu, priest, engineer, administrator and 7th century philanthropist.