The is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

with the ruins of an

Asuka Asuka may refer to: People * Asuka (name), a list of people * Asuka (wrestler), professional wrestler * Asuka (wrestler, born 1998), professional wrestler also known as Veny outside of Japan Places In Japan * , an area in Yamato Province (now ...

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...

Buddhist temple located in the Natsumi neighborhood of the city of Nabari,

Mie Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Mie Prefecture has a population of 1,781,948 () and has a geographic area of . Mie Prefecture is bordered by Gifu Prefecture to the north, Shiga Prefecture and Kyoto Prefectur ...

Japan. The temple no longer exists, but the temple grounds were designated as a National Historic Site in 1990.

Overview

The Natsumi temple ruins are located on the southern slope of Otokoyama hill on the right bank of the Nabari River in the southern part of the Iga region of Mie. Numerous

roof tile A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of temper ...

s were found in the area in 1937. Archaeological excavations were carried out in 1946-1947 and in 1984-1986 (Showa 59-61), uncovering the foundations of a

Kondō Kondō, Kondo or Kondou (近藤 "near wisteria") is a surname prominent in Japanese culture, although it also occurs in other countries. Notable people with the surname include: * , Japanese ballet dancer * Dorinne K. Kondo, anthropologist * Kond ...

Pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

and a Lecture Hall. it was estimated that the Kondō was built around the end of the 7th century during the Hakuho period, and the pagoda and Lecture Hall were built around the first half of the 8th century during the Nara period, and were burnt down around the end of the 10th century during the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...

. From the location of the ruins and from descriptions in historical sources, such as the , it is believed that the temple was known as Shofuku-ji (昌福寺), which was built by

Princess Ōku Ōku (Japanese: or ) (February 12, 661 – January 29, 702) was a Japanese princess during the Asuka period in Japanese history. She was the daughter of Emperor Tenmu and sister of Prince Ōtsu. As a young girl, she witnessed the Jinshin War. ...

for her father, Emperor Tenmu. This theory is reinforced by the unusual arrangement of the buildings necessitated by the terrain, in which the Lecture Hall is located to the southwest of the Kondō, and also by the unusual design of the Kondō itself, with a frontage of three bays and depth of two bays. This design is only found elsewhere at the ruins of the contemporary

Yamada-dera was a Buddhist temple established in the Asuka period in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The area has been designated a Special Historic Site and forms part of a grouping of sites submitted in 2007 for future inscription on the UNESCO World H ...

Sakurai, Nara is a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of March 31, 2017, the city has an estimated population of 58,386, and 24,629 households. The population density is , and the total area is . History Sakurai was briefly the capital of Japan during ...

. Princess Ōku was the first Saiō, or imperial priestess assigned by the court to the

Ise Grand Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. Officially known simply as , Ise Jingū is a shrine complex composed of many Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, and . The Inner ...

s and Nabari was regarded as the eastern border of the

Kinai region is a Japanese term denoting an ancient division of the country. ''Kinai'' is a name for the ancient provinces around the capital Nara and Heian-kyō. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kinai''" in . The five provinces were called ''go-kinai' ...

, or the core territory of the

Yamato state The was a tribal alliance centered on the Yamato region (Nara Prefecture) from the 4th century to the 7th century, and ruled over the alliance of noble families in the central and western parts of the Japanese archipelago. The age is from th ...

. Princess Ōku performed a ''

misogi is a Japanese Shinto practice of ritual purification by washing the entire body. Misogi is related to another Shinto purification ritual called '' Harae'' – thus both being collectively referred to as . Background Every year, many people ...

'' ritual purification when crossing the Nabari River into

Ise Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today includes most of modern Mie Prefecture. Ise bordered on Iga, Kii, Mino, Ōmi, Owari, Shima, and Yamato Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . History The name of Ise appears ...

because of this. However, following the death of

Prince Ōtsu was a Japanese poet and the son of Emperor Tenmu. Background His mother was Princess Ōta whose father was Emperor Tenji. He was therefore the younger full-blood brother of Princess Ōku. His consort was Princess Yamanobe, daughter of Emper ...

in 686 AD, Princess Ōku lost her authority, and the temple was completed by

Empress Genmei , also known as Empress Genmyō, was the 43rd monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 元明天皇 (43) retrieved August 22, 2013. according to the traditional order of succession. Genmei's reign spanned the years 707 throu ...

. The ruins are located Nabari City Central Park, with the outlines of the foundations of the buildings preserved. In the adjacent , many excavated items such as roof tiles and 516 fragments of Buddha images, along with replicas of Buddhist paintings reflecting Hakuho culture are on display. Many of the excavated items were collectively designated a Mie Prefecture Tangible Cultural Property in 2003. The site is located a seven-minute walk from the "Natsumi" but stop on the Mie Kotsu Bus from Nabari Station on the

Kintetsu Osaka Line ''Kintetsu'' is the abbreviation of , or Kintetsu Railway, a Japanese railway corporation. It may also refer to: Companies * Kintetsu Group Holdings, the holding corporation of the Kintetsu Railway ** Kintetsu Bus, a bus company and a subsidiary ...

Gallery

File:Natsumi Haiji, gaikan-2.jpg, Panoramic view File:Natsumi Haiji, kondou-1.jpg, Site of Kondo File:Natsumi Haiji, tou-1.jpg, Site of Pagoda File:Natsumi Haiji, kondou-2.jpg, Foundations of Kondo File:Natsumi Haiji, tou-2.jpg, Foundations of Pagoda File:Natsumi Haiji, toushinso.jpg, Central foundation of Pagoda File:Natsumi Haiji, koudou.jpg, Site of Lecture Hall File:Natsumi Haiji, tsuijibei.jpg, Traces of walls Natsuhaiji Museum.jpg, Natsumi Temple Ruins Exhibition Hall 夏見廃寺跡出土塑像仏 (螺髪)・塑像仏 (足指先).JPG, Fragments of a Buddha image 夏見廃寺跡出土大型多尊塼仏.JPG, Fragments of Buddha images 夏見廃寺跡出土方形三尊塼仏A.JPG, Fragments of Buddha images 夏見廃寺跡出土金堂創建瓦-2.JPG, Roof tile from Kondo 夏見廃寺跡出土塔・講堂創建瓦.JPG, Roof tile from Lecture Hall 夏見廃寺跡出土補修用瓦.JPG, Artifacts found under altar 夏見廃寺跡出土須恵器坏・土師器皿.JPG,

Sue ware was a blue-gray form of stoneware pottery fired at high temperature, which was produced in Japan and southern Korea during the Kofun, Nara, and Heian periods of Japanese history. It was initially used for funerary and ritual objects, and origina ...

pottery 夏見廃寺跡出土円面硯.JPG, Sue ware pottery

References

External links

Nabari City site

Mie Prefecture Information Warehouse of History
{{in lang, ja Historic Sites of Japan Nabari, Mie Iga Province Asuka period Buddhist archaeological sites in Japan Museums in Mie Prefecture

Overview

Gallery

See also

References

External links