South of Sakurai: From Abe Monju-in Temple to Shorin-ji Temple and Tanzan-jinja Shrine's Thirteen-Story Pagoda

This route heads south from Kintetsu and JR Sakurai Station to visit Abe Monju-in Temple and Shorin-ji Temple on foot, then takes a bus from Shorin-ji Temple up to Tanzan-jinja Shrine on Tonomine. In a single day, you can tour the renowned treasures of southern Sakurai, including the National Treasure Monju Bosatsu carved by Kaikei, the National Treasure Standing Eleven-Headed Kannon, and the wooden thirteen-story pagoda.

History and Local Charm

To the south of Sakurai Station, three temples and shrines stand in a line toward the mountain of Tonomine. Each is connected to individuals involved in the Taika Reform and their clans.

Tanzan-jinja Shrine, atop the mountain, enshrines Fujiwara no Kamatari. It is said to be the site where Prince Naka no Oe and Nakatomi no Kamako (later Fujiwara no Kamatari) conferred together about the Taika Reform. In the fourth year of Empress Kogyoku (645), the two slew Soga no Iruka at Asuka Itabuki no Miya. Abe-dera Temple, the origin of Abe Monju-in Temple at the foot of the mountain, was established in the first year of the Taika era (645) as a clan temple by Abe no Kurahashimaro, who served as Minister of the Left following the Taika Reform.

Shorin-ji Temple, situated between the two, is said to have been founded in the fifth year of Wado (712) by Kamatari's eldest son, Joe, as a separate cloister of Tanzan Myoraku-ji Temple (present-day Tanzan-jinja Shrine). According to the history of Tanzan-jinja Shrine, it was also Joe who reinterred a portion of his father's remains on the peak of Tonomine and built the thirteen-story pagoda. The temple at the mountain foot and the shrine atop the mountain are thus linked through the same person's name.

The National Treasure Standing Eleven-Headed Kannon at Shorin-ji Temple was originally the principal image of Daigorin-ji Temple, the oldest jinguji (shrine-temple) of Omiwa-jinja Shrine. From the main hall of Shorin-ji Temple, you can view Mt. Miwa, where this Kannon statue originally stood.

Key Highlights

• ​Abe Monju-in Temple​​: The principal image is the "Tokai Monju Statue Group," a designated National Treasure showing Monju Bosatsu riding a lion alongside four attendant statues. The Monju Bosatsu was created in the third year of Kennin (1203) by the master Buddhist sculptor Kaikei; standing approximately 7 meters tall, it is regarded as the largest in Japan. The grounds also feature the Monju-in Nishi Kofun, a designated Special National Historic Site, and the Kinkaku Ukimido pavilion, built as if floating on a pond.
• ​Shorin-ji Temple​​: The National Treasure Standing Eleven-Headed Kannon is a mokushin kanshitsu (wood-core dry lacquer) statue from the Nara period, measuring 209 centimeters in height. It is said to have been moved from Daigorin-ji Temple to Shorin-ji Temple in the fourth year of Keio (1868) to escape the anti-Buddhist movement (haibutsu kishaku). The temple's principal image is a large stone Koyasu Enmei Jizo, sculpted in the mid-Edo period by the monk Bunshun to pray for safe childbirth for women.
• ​Tanzan-jinja Shrine​​: The landmark of the grounds is the 17-meter-tall cypress-bark roofed (hiwadabuki) thirteen-story pagoda, rebuilt in the fifth year of Kyoroku (1532). It is considered to be the only surviving wooden thirteen-story pagoda in the world. In addition to the vermilion-lacquered, gorgeously colored main sanctuary (honden), other structures such as the worship hall (haiden) and the tower gate (romon) are designated Important Cultural Properties of Japan.

Recommended Route and Travel Time

The recommended duration is about 5 hours. To reach Sakurai Station from Osaka, take the Kintetsu line from Kintetsu-Uehommachi Station. From Kyoto, take the Kintetsu line from Kintetsu Kyoto Station and transfer at Yamato-Yagi Station.

It takes about 20 minutes on foot from Sakurai Station to Abe Monju-in Temple. After worshiping before Monju Bosatsu, be sure to view the Nishi Kofun and the Kinkaku Ukimido on the temple grounds. Leaving Abe Monju-in Temple, walk about 1.6 kilometers southeast to Shorin-ji Temple. The Kannon statue at Shorin-ji Temple is enshrined in the Kannon-do hall, reached by climbing stairs behind the main hall. After returning to the main hall, look toward Mt. Miwa.

From the nearby "Shorinji" bus stop, take the Nara Kotsu bus that comes from Sakurai Station and is bound for Tanzan-jinja Shrine. Tanzan-jinja Shrine sits atop the mountain roughly 3 kilometers south-southeast of Shorin-ji Temple. Get off at the final stop, and the shrine is about a 3-minute walk away. Due to heavy traffic or other reasons, buses may terminate short at "Tonomine." For the return trip, take the bus from Tanzan-jinja Shrine back to Sakurai Station.

The annual grand festival on November 17 falls on the anniversary of Kamatari's death. This date coincides with the peak of autumn foliage and becomes very crowded.

Summary of the Experience

Pray for wisdom before Kaikei's monumental Monju Bosatsu, then stand face-to-face with the National Treasure Eleven-Headed Kannon at a temple overlooking Mt. Miwa. Conclude by riding a bus up to Tonomine to gaze upon the wooden thirteen-story pagoda. It is a one-day journey following three sacred sites tied to the Taika Reform from the foot of the mountain to its heights.