Shin-Yakushiji Temple

It is said that Empress Komyo built this temple in 747 to pray for the healing of Emperor Shomu’s illness.

The name “Shin-Yakushiji Temple” means “new experience of spiritual power.

The temple was once one of the ten largest temples in the Nanto area, and although it has shrunk in size since the Heian period (794-1185), it still retains many cultural assets, including the main hall, which is a national treasure, and the Twelve Divine Generals from the Nara period (710-794).

When the temple was built, Kondo was very large and housed many statues of nyorai (buddhas) and bodhisattvas.

However, a storm during the Heian period (794-1185) destroyed the main hall and the Buddhist statues inside, and the hall on a higher ground to the east became known as the main hall.

Although other buildings are converted in this main hall, it is designated as a national treasure because it is a valuable structure from the Nara period, when few remains existed, and it is the only structure that retains the ancient architectural style.

In the center of the hall is a circular plastered altar with the main statue of Yakushi Nyorai enshrined in the center, surrounded by statues of the Twelve Divine Generals standing facing outward.

The wooden seated statue of Yakushi Nyorai, the principal image, is 191.5 cm high and nearly 2 m tall. The height of the statue is 191.5 cm. It is designated as a National Treasure.

Because of the Yakushi Nyorai’s large and beautiful eyes, it is known that people with eye diseases visit the temple to pray.

The standing statues of the Twelve Divine Generals (plastic statues, National Treasure), which surround the principal image and are Yakushi Nyorai’s dependents, are the oldest (Nara Period) and largest in Japan, and are built on a circular earthen platform.

The East Gate, South Gate, Belfry, and Jizo Hall were built in the Kamakura period (1192-1333) and are designated as Important Cultural Properties.