Shōrin-ji Temple
聖林寺
This temple offers mountain views of ancient Yamato, housing an eighth-century Eleven-Headed Kannon National Treasure.
What it is
- Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect.
- Established in 712.
- Built to pray for the prosperity of the Fujiwara clan.
What to see
- All buildings rebuilt in the eighteenth century.
- Eighth-century Eleven-Headed Kannon statue, a National Treasure.
- Spectacular view of the ancient Yamato region.
- Hashihaka burial mound visible in the distance.
- Mt. Miwa to the east of the tomb.
In detail
Shorinji is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect. It was established in 712 as a place to pray for the prosperity of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful family closely connected with the imperial court. Due to damage sustained from multiple fires over the centuries, all of Shorinji’s buildings were rebuilt in the eighteenth century. Today, the temple houses a number of treasures, including an eighth-century Eleven-Headed Kannon statue, listed as a National Treasure.
Situated on Mt. Ogura, a mountain celebrated in early Japanese literature, Shorinji commands a spectacular view of the ancient region of Yamato, the cradle of Japanese civilization and Buddhism. The Hashihaka burial mound (kofun), thought by some researchers to be that of Queen Himiko, a third-century monarch of the first Japanese dynasty, is visible in the distance. Mt. Miwa, the site of Omiwa Jinja, one of Japan’s oldest Shinto shrines, lies to the east of the tomb.
Text: 観光庁 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース. Reproduced unchanged. The notes above were written from that text by Japan Gems.
Where it is
奈良県桜井市下692 Open in Google Maps
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