Amidst the rice fields, Yakushiji Temple can be seen from afar
A 10-minute walk south from Toshodai-ji Temple is Yakushi-ji Temple. Seeing the peculiarly shaped East Tower at Nagoya Kintetsu Station made me want to go and see it with my own eyes.
1⃣️Yakushinji Temple is one of the architectural complexes of the ancient capital of Nara, a world heritage site. It was planned by Emperor Tenmu of Japan in 680, Emperor Jitō in 697, and then Emperor Mommu took the throne, and the completion of the hall was seen in Asuka. With the relocation of the capital to Heijō (710), it moved to its current location in 718.
2⃣️The Yakushiji-style large monastery with two east and west towers is the most spectacular large monastery in Japan. Because of the disasters that happened one after another, they all returned to dust. The East Pagoda with the statue of Shakuhachi at Yakushiji Temple (a national treasure) is a representative building of the Nara period and is praised for its exquisiteness of Hakuho culture.
The West Pagoda was burned down in the war in 1528, but thanks to the efforts of many people who copied sutras, it was able to restore the original appearance of the pagoda when it was first built in 1551.
East Tower, Hakuho era, national treasure;
The three statues of Medicine Buddha, Hakuho period, are national treasures and are enshrined in the Golden Hall;
Toin-do Temple, Kamakura period, National Treasure;
Standing statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Hakuho period, national treasure, enshrined in Toin-do.
3⃣️In the early Showa period, only the lonely East Pagoda barely survived, which reminded people of the pillars of the past. The lost hall was the great compassion of Yakushiji Temple. In 1967, the abbot Takada Yoshikazu initiated the sutra copying movement to restore Hakuho Garan, and rebuilt the Golden Hall, West Pagoda, Central Gate, Corridor, Great Auditorium, and Dining Hall, making the harmony and magnificence of Hakuho Garan architecture unforgettable. The temple was built by accepting many connections from all over the country and donating their precious merits. It is the result of a pure heart.
4⃣️Treasures: 1. The three statues of Medicine Buddha in the Golden Hall are national treasures. 2. There is also a national treasure "Buddha's Foot Stone" in the lecture hall. It is a footprint of Buddha copied by a monk in India during the Tang Dynasty, and then copied by a Japanese student and brought back to Japan. It has quite a history.
3. The skull relic of Xuanzang: Yakushiji Temple is the Dharma Characteristics School, which reveres Master Xuanzang as its founder. The Xuanzang Sanzang Temple houses a copy of Xuanzang's skull relic. Its origin is not very glorious - it was excavated by the Japanese invaders and found in the ruins of Nanjing Da Baoen Temple
Address income. (Fortunately, of the 9 existing relics, 6 are in mainland China or Taiwan.
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The beauty of this magnificent temple is called "Ryugu-zukuri", which spans 1,300 years of history. To this day, faith and art are still perfectly and harmoniously integrated.
Yeshi Temple
Opening hours: 8:30-17:00
Address: 457 Nishi/Kyo-cho
Transportation: Bus No. 72, Kintetsu Kashihara Line Nishinokyo Station.
Ticket price: 1,000 yen. You can get 100 yen off the ticket with a one-day bus ticket for Nara Park and Nishi-kyo.