Okadera Temple
The Buddha of
Wish-Granting
The temple was founded in 663. The original name of the temple was Ryugaiji, but since ancient times it has been affectionately called “Oka-dera,” meaning "temple on the hill in Asuka village". The main deity, Nyoirin Kannon, is the largest statue made of clay in Japan and was built in the Nara period. The temple is the 7th temple of the 33 Saikoku Kannon Pilgrimage in the western part of Japan. It is also the first sacred place in Japan for expelling of bad luck, therefore, is visited by many people from all over Japan to pray for the fulfillment of their wishes.
HIGHLIGHTS
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Important Cultural Property
Seated Statue of
Nyoirin Kannon Bosatsu -
Hon-do Hall (Main Hall)
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Important Cultural Property
Nio-mon Gate
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Seasonal Flowers
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Three-storied Pagoda
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Shoro-do Hall,
or the Bell Tower -
Okuno-in Hall,
or the Inner Sanctuary -
Breathtakingly Beautiful Autumn Colors
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The Legend of the
“Dragon Lid” Pond
Cultural Assets
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Seated Statue of Gien Sojo
- Category
- National Treasure (sculpture)
- Era
- Around the end of the 8th century
- Outline
- This statue was made with the Mokushin Kanshitsu technique (the technique is used to complete the statue by making a rough wooden sculpture and then applying lacquer and lacquer-mixed wood powder to the surface). Colored, 93.0 cm high. Gien Sojo, a Buddhist monk, was the founder of Okadera Temple who was the leader of Buddhism in the early 8th century. This statue is a portrait sculpture of him that has been handed down in the temple. It is currently housed at the Nara National Museum.
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Molding Seated Nyoirin Kannon(Bodhisattva Kannon <Avalokiteshvara>)
- Category
- Important Cultural Property (sculpture))
- Era
- Nara period
- Outline
- Molded statue. Colored, 458.2 cm high. It is the largest molded statue in Japan, and is notable as an example of the fact that huge molded statues were produced in the Nara period (710-794). It is also considered important as the oldest example of the Nyorin Kannon, and shows the richness of Buddhist culture in the Nara period, both as a statue and as an object of faith.
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Nyoirin Kanzeon Bosatsu (Bodhisattva Kannon <Avalokiteshvara>) Seating Contemplatively in the Half Lotus Position
- Category
- Important Cultural Property (sculpture)
- Era
- Nara period
- Outline
- This statue is made of gold and copper using a mold and is 31.2 cm high. It is said to have been housed inside of the seated statue of the Dai Nyorin Kannon. Currently the statue is housed at the Kyoto National Museum. A reproduction of the statue is enshrined at Okadera Temple.
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Shakyamuni Buddha Entering Nirvana
- Category
- Important Cultural Property (sculpture)
- Era
- End of Heian period to Kamakura period
- Outline
- This life-size wooden statue of 171.1 cm long is a very rare example of statuary. The figure lies having the head rested on the right arm and the left arm resting straightly on the side of the body. It is considered extremely valuable as it is one of the few wood carvings of the image of the lying Shakyamuni Buddha. The statue is currently on deposit at the Tokyo National Museum.
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Earthen Plate with the Celestial Figure
- Category
- Important Cultural Property (sculpture)
- Era
- Hakuho period
- Outline
- This earthen plate called “Sen” is 39 cm long and 39 cm wide and 8 cm thick. It is said that this square plate with patterns was excavated from the site of Okadera Temple. A Sen is a brick or tile-like ware formed by packing clay into a mold. The four circumferences are surrounded by a 3cm-wide pattern and there is the relief of the image of a celestial being on the center. Few of similar examples of this type of plate have not been excavated in Japan, therefore, it is considered to be extremely valuable.
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Okadera Temple Niomon Gate
- Category
- Important Cultural Property (building structure)
- Era
- Early Edo period (1612)
- Outline
- The present Niomon Gate has three pillars on the front and one of the space on the middle between two pillars was a doorway. It is the Irimoya-zukuri style architecture with Hon Kawara-buki tiled roof (hip-and-gable style roof). The gate was erected in 1612 using old materials. The foundation stones are from the Nara period (710-794).
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Okadera Temple Shoin
- Category
- Important Cultural Property (building structure)
- Era
- End of Azuchi Momoyama period to early Edo period
- Outline
- The Shoin building stands to the northwest of the main hall whose width is about 13 meters and the beam length of about 10 meters. The roof has the Kiritsuma style with the Kokera-buki (a method of construction in which layers of wood shingles are layered on top of each other). It is partly made of copper with eaves on both the east and west sides.
GUIDE / ACCESS
Opening Hours: | 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (March-November:) 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (December-February) |
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Admission: |
Adults ¥400, High School Students ¥300, Junior High School Students ¥200 free of charge for Elementary School Students or younger |
Address: | 806 Oka, Asuka-mura, Takaichi-gun, Nara |
Access: | From Kintetsu Kashihara-jingumae Station, take a bus to the "Okadera-mae" bus stop. |