shouryaku tera

Shoryakuji is the head temple of the Bodaisan Shingon sect, located in Bodaisan-cho, Nara City. The temple was founded in 992 (the third year of Shoryaku) by imperial command of Emperor Ichijo, with Fujiwara no Kanetoshi credited as its founding abbot. It once flourished as a great temple complex but declined through repeated warfare. Notably, during the Muromachi period a sake called Bodaisen was brewed here using the pure waters of the Bodaisen River, earning the temple the reputation as the birthplace of Japanese refined sake. The technique of morohaku brewing is considered the origin of modern Japanese sake. Revived under Edo-period Tokugawa patronage and surviving the Meiji-era abolition of Buddhism, the temple today is known for its spectacular autumn foliage, drawing visitors each year to its maple-lined precinct.