is the head temple of a branch of the Shugendō religion called Kinpusen-Shugendō in

Yoshino district is a district located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. In 2020, the district had an estimated population of 37,086 and a density of 18.05 persons per km2. The total area is 2,055 km2. On September 25, 2005, the villages of Ōtō and Nishiyoshin ...

, Nara Prefecture, Japan. According to tradition, it was founded by En no Gyōja, who propagated a form of mountain asceticism drawing from

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

and Buddhist beliefs. Along with Ōminesan-ji Temple, it is considered the most important temple in Shugendō. The temple's main building, the "Zaō-Hall" (''Zaōdō'') dedicated to Zaō gongen (蔵王権現), is the second largest wooden structure in Japan after the Great Buddha Hall at

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergo ...

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

. Kinpusen-ji is a junction in a series of stops on

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

routes. A Shinto shrine dedicated to Inari Ōkami is attached to the main compound. In 1963, the Temple constructed a hall named Southern Court Mystic Law Hall (''Nanchō Myōhōden'') to appease the soul of the four emperors of the Southern Court and others who lost their lives in many battles since the "Northern and Southern Courts period" (

Nanboku-chō period The Nanboku-chō period (南北朝時代, ''Nanboku-chō jidai'', "North and South court period", also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period), spanning from 1336 to 1392, was a period that occurred during the formative years of the Mur ...

, 1336–1392). The principal image is the statue of

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...

(''Shaka Nyōrai''). In 2004, it was designated as part of a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

under the name '' Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range''.

Images

File:Kinpusenji niomon2.jpg, Gate with guardians File:Kinpusenji nio2.jpg, Statue of the wrath-filled and muscular guardian Nio File:Kinpusenji zaodo1.jpg, Zaōdō (Deity: Zaō gongen, "Avatar Zaō") File:Kinpusenji zaodo2.jpg, entrance of Zaōdō File:Zao-Gongen-Kimpusen-Temple-Yoshino.jpg, one of the three Zaō-gongen statues in the Zaōdō File:Kinpusenji zaodo3.jpg, carvings File:Kinpusenji Yoshino Nara08n4272.jpg, Bell tower (Shorō) File:Kinpusenji Yoshino Nara04n4272.jpg, Aizendō (deity: Aizen myōō, Sanskr.

Rāgarāja Rāgarāja ( sa, रागराज) is a deity venerated in the Esoteric and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions. He is especially revered in Chinese Esoteric Buddhism in Chinese communities as well as Shingon and Tendai in Japan. Nomenclature Rāg ...

) File:Kinpusenji Yoshino Nara03n4272.jpg, Kannondō (deity: Kannon bosatsu, "Bodhisattva Guanyin") File:Kinpusenji Yoshino Nara06n3200.jpg, Itoku Tenmangu File:Kinpusenji Inari1.jpg, Attached Inari shrine (Deity: Hisatomi Daimyōjin) File:Kinpusenji Inari3.jpg, Inari shrine File:Kinpusenji nanchomyohoden1.jpg, Nanchō myōhō-den File:En no gyoja-Kimpusen-ji.JPG, Statue of En no Gyōja near the Nanchō myōhō-den

References

External links

Official websiteLive camera, Kimpusen-ji, Zaōdō
Buddhist temples in Nara Prefecture World Heritage Sites in Japan National Treasures of Japan Shugendō {{Buddhist-temple-stub

Images

See also

References

External links