Hizen Kokubun-niji

What it is

• A designated historic site founded during the Nara period by order of Emperor Shomu.
• The former location of a provincial monastery and an adjacent nunnery.
• An ancient religious complex that declined between the Nanboku-cho and Muromachi periods.
• A protected archaeological area officially designated by Saga City in 1990.

What to see

• The original temple grounds measuring approximately 216 meters square.
• The nunnery site located to the west of the main temple area.
• Archaeological footprints of the Middle Gate, Golden Hall, and Lecture Hall.
• The site where a seven-story pagoda once stood southeast of the Golden Hall.
• Remains of four tile kilns discovered on the eastern side of the temple.
• The historic layout preserved within a modern residential area.

Notes written by Japan Gems from facts in Japanese Wikipedia.