square jō (approx. 10 sq ft)
A traditional Japanese unit of area, roughly 10 square feet. Used in architectural and land contexts.
See also: 丈 (じょう)
この部屋は四畳半で、方丈にすると約四・五方丈です。
This room is 4.5 tatami mats, which is about 4.5 square jō.
abbot's chamber
In a Buddhist temple, the room of the head priest. Often a small, simple space.
方丈で住職とお茶をいただいた。
I had tea with the chief priest in the abbot's chamber.
The head priest of a Buddhist temple, especially one who resides in the 方丈 chamber.
方丈が説法を始めた。
The chief priest began his sermon.
Mount Fangzhang; Mount Fanghu
In Chinese mythology, a legendary mountain where immortals dwell. Rarely used outside mythological contexts.
方丈は蓬莱とともに仙人が住むとされる山である。
Mount Fangzhang, along with Mount Penglai, is said to be inhabited by immortals.
From Chinese 方丈 (fāngzhàng), originally meaning 'one square zhang' (a unit of area). In Buddhism, it came to refer to the abbot's quarters and then the abbot himself. The mythological mountain name is also of Chinese origin.