Tsubosaka-dera Temple

Although its official name is Minami Hokke-ji Temple, it is commonly known as Tsubosakadera Temple, located halfway up Mount Takatori, overlooking the Nara Basin.

It is one of the oldest temples, said to have been founded in 703, and is the 6th of the 33 temples in the western part of Japan, attracting many worshippers from all over the country.

It is believed to be a temple that protects people from eye diseases, and in the fall, a memorial service for glasses is held.

The temple grounds are filled with colorful flowers and fragrances of wildflowers, cherry blossoms, and lavenders. In the fall, visitors can enjoy the beautiful scenery of autumn leaves.

Sei Shonagon, in his “The Pillow Book,” praised the temple, naming it as the most sacred temple, saying, “The temples are Tsubozaka, Kasagi, and Horin.

The temple is also known as the setting for the Kabuki play “Tsubozaka Reikenki,” written around 1875.

The Reido and the three-story pagoda are designated as National Important Cultural Properties of Japan.

According to legend, the temple was founded in 703 by priest, aristocrat, and poet Benki (monk’s name) Shonin of Gankoji Temple. Later, the temple became a prayer temple for Emperor Genjo.

During the Heian period (794-1185), Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto was called Kita Hokke-ji Temple, while Tsubosaka-dera Temple was called Minami-Hoke-ji Temple, and together with Hase-dera Temple has long flourished as a sacred site for the Kannon.

There are 36 halls and more than 60 monks’ quarters. In 1007, the left minister Fujiwara no Michinaga stayed at the temple on his way to Yoshino.

In 1096, however, the temple was destroyed by fire, and most of the buildings were burnt to ashes. The temple was later reconstructed, but it was destroyed by fire several times, and eventually fell into decline during the Warring States period (1467-1568), when it was engulfed in warfare.

Only a three-storied pagoda and a hall of worship from the Muromachi period (1336-1573) remained. Around 1600, the lord of Takatori Castle made efforts to restore the temple, and it flourished under the patronage of the Uemura clan, lord of the Takatori domain during the Edo period (1603-1868).

The main deity, the eleven-faced thousand-armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, is popularly known as the Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, and is said to have a cure for eye diseases, making it famous as the setting for the puppet play “Tsubozaka Reikenki.

It is enshrined in an octagonal hall (main hall) reconstructed in the Edo period.

Since 1964, the temple has been engaged in Hansen’s disease activities in India, and there are many stone halls and stone statues created through international exchange and stone carving projects.

The stone statue of the Great Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, who came to India from India, was installed in 1983. Using ancient stones provided by the Indian government, the statue was made in 66 parts by a total of 70,000 stone masons in India and assembled in Japan.

The relief of the Buddha’s biography, “Sakyamuni Ichidaiji,” was installed in 1987. It is 50 m long, 3 m high, and weighs 300 tons, and was made by a total of 57,000 stone carvers in India and assembled in Japan.

The Tenjukdurai Oishikudo was modeled after the Ajanta Cave Temple in India, carved by a total of 120,000 Japanese and Indian craftsmen, and assembled in Japan. Weighing 1,500 tons in total, the interior houses a stone stupa and the eleven-faced thousand-armed Avalokitesvara and Dainichi Kannawa statues.

Other stone objects produced in India and assembled in Japan include an 8-meter-long stone statue of the Great Reclining Buddha from India, a 10-meter tall stone statue of the Great Buddha Shakyamuni from India (the Tsubosaka Daibutsu) with a 5-meter base, and a 3-meter-high “Megane Kannon” (Goddess of Mercy).

Tsubohan-ji Temple is a sacred mountain richly fragrant with the scent of the Silk Road, and visitors to the temple are sure to be comforted.