Shimotsuke Yakushiji Temple Ruins
In the Nara period, this Buddhist temple was the greatest in the Kanto provinces and was known for having one of the three most majestic ordination platforms in the country alongside the Todaiji temple and the Kanzeon-ji Temple. Built at the end of the seventh century, in the mid-eighth century, it is said to have been so prosperous, it rivaled the very temples of the capital (then in Nara). Today, a portion of the site of its ruins are maintained as a public park, and visitors can view a reconstructed temple gallery as well as VR imagery which shows what the temple looked like in its heyday. The temple played a central role in Buddhism in the Kanto provinces, and excavations and surveys to date have revealed the temple had a wall stretching 250 meters east to west and 360 meters north to south, as well as 100-meter-long galleries extending in all directions.
Spot details
- Address
- Tochigi Shimotsuke-shi Yakushiji 1636 Map
- Phone
- 0285473121
- Closed
- open everyday
- Fees
- Free
- Parking Lot
- Available * Also used as Shimotsuke Yakushiji History Museum
- Note
- *Telephone connects to the Shimotsuke Yakushiji Historical Museum.
Information Sources: NAVITIME JAPAN