From 594 to 622, Prince Shotoku ruled Japan. He certainly lived up to his name, for “sho” means sacred and “toku” means virtue.  During his reign, he promoted Buddhism in Japan, so much so that he is popularly known as the founder of Japanese Buddhism. After his death, many even called him “Japan’s Shakyamuni.” A historical figure of India, Siddhartha Gautama became known as Shakyamuni after his enlightenment, and his teachings became the foundation for Buddhism. The second Buddhist temple Shokotu commissioned was Horyuji, in Nara Prefecture, southern Japan. The temple is a significant part of Japan’s art, architecture, and spiritual heritage. Buddhism had only just emerged in Japan from China, via the Korean peninsula, when the wooden buildings of Horyuji Temple were built. Japan’s first Buddhist temple, Shitennoji, still exists, but its buildings were later rebuilt, therefore, the temple buildings of Horyuji, are Japan’s oldest surviving Buddhist structures. Several of the Horyuji Temple buildings date …