Yakushiji　Temple

In 680, Emperor Temmu ordered a great temple to be built as a prayer for the recovery of his ill wife. When he died eight years later, she had regained her health and as the new Empress Jito took on the task of finishing the temple, to be called Yakushiji. It was dedicated in 697, in the short-lived capital of Fujiwara-kyo. In 718 it was moved to the new capital of Nara, where it prospered as one of the city’s Seven Great Temples.

Devastating fires in 973 and again in 1528 claimed all the temple’s original structures except for the East Pagoda. The 8th century structure stands alone in the midst of an entirely new temple complex, most of the buildings less than forty years old.

The main attraction here is the art. The Golden Hall’s Yakushiji Triad, a statue of the Medicine Buddha Yakushi Nyorai flanked by bodhisattvas of the sun and the moon, are superb examples of early Japanese sculpture. In the temple’s treasure hall, you can view (among other things) a beautifully preserved Nara-period painting of Kissho-ten, the goddess of happiness, fertility and beauty from January 1st through the 15th and again from October 8th to November 10th.

Matt Mangham

457 Nishinokyo-cho, Nara City

Kintetsu Nara station===(20 min. by Nara Kotsu bus)===Nishinokyo bus stop===(2 min. walk)===Yakushiji Temple

8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., (Last entry: 4:30 p.m.)

(While Genjo-sanzo Garan is closed: Jan.6th- March 19th, June 16th - Sep. 15th, Nov. 26th - Dec. 31st.)
Adult: 500 yen
Junior high / High school student: 400 yen
Elementary school student: 200 yen

(While Genjo-sanzo Garan is open: Jan. 1st-5th, March 1st - June 15th, Sep. 16th - Nov. 25th)
Adult: 800 yen
Junior high / High school student: 700 yen
Elementary school student: 300 yen