hourin tera

Horinji is an ancient temple of the Shotoku sect located in Mii, Ikaruga-cho, Ikoma District, Nara, associated with Prince Shotoku. The temple dates to around the mid-7th century, and together with Horyuji and Hokkiji, it forms the "Three Pagodas of Ikaruga." The principal image is a Yakushi Nyorai (Medicine Buddha) dating to the late Asuka period. The three-story pagoda was destroyed by lightning in 1944, but through the efforts of writer Fumiko Koda and donations gathered from across Japan, it was magnificently rebuilt in 1975 by master carpenter Tsunekazu Nishioka. The lecture hall enshrines numerous Important Cultural Properties including a wooden eleven-faced Kannon, preserving the essence of Buddhist art from the Asuka through Heian periods.