West of Nara City: Touring National Treasure Main Halls at Akishino-dera, Chokyu-ji, and Ryosen-ji (By Car)

Drive through the area stretching from the west of Nara City to neighboring Ikoma City to visit three temples preserving National Treasure main halls (hondo). Journey to Akishino-dera Temple where the statue of Gigeiten stands, Chokyu-ji Temple with its cypress bark roof backed by a forest, and Ryosen-ji Temple featuring a rose garden. This drive is recommended for a second visit to Nara after seeing Todai-ji Temple and Kofuku-ji Temple.

History and Regional Charm

All three temples on this course trace their origins back to the Nara period. Their current main halls are all considered to date from the Kamakura period.

Akishino-dera Temple is said to have been founded around 780, at the end of the Nara period, by the imperial decree of Emperor Konin. The name of the temple is derived from being built in the village of Akishino, located on the northwestern outskirts of Heijo-kyo. Most of the temple compound was destroyed by fire during the warfare of the late Heian period, and the present main hall stands on the site of the original lecture hall (kodo). While the exact year of construction is unknown, it is considered to be from the early Kamakura period.

At Chokyu-ji Temple in Kamimachi, Ikoma City, a tradition relates that Emperor Shomu ordered Gyoki to construct the temple to mourn Ono no Mayumi Takeyumi, who was accidentally shot during a hunt. The main hall is known to date from 1279, based on an inscription reading "Koan 2" found on a ridgepole.

Ryosen-ji Temple is said to have been founded by Gyoki upon the imperial decree of Emperor Shomu. It is said that in 736, the Indian monk Bodhisena gave the temple its name. The construction year of the main hall is known to be 1283 (the 6th year of Koan) from a ridge plaque (munafuda). Alongside Chokyu-ji Temple's main hall, it is considered a masterpiece of Japanese-style (wayo) Buddhist hall architecture from the Kamakura period.

Key Highlights

• ​Akishino-dera Temple​​: While preserving traditions dating from the Nara period, this National Treasure main hall exhibits Kamakura period styles in its details. The roof features a gently sloping hipped (yosemune-zukuri) design clad in traditional fired tiles (hongawarabuki). Standing at the far left inside the hall is a standing statue of Gigeiten, an Important Cultural Property praised as the "Muse of the East."
• ​Chokyu-ji Temple​​: The National Treasure main hall has a hip-and-gable (irimoya-zukuri) roof thatched with cypress bark (hiwadabuki). It is one of the representative examples of Kamakura-period Japanese-style Buddhist halls, and is also precious because the exact year of its construction is known. It is also known as a popular spot for viewing hydrangeas.
• ​Ryosen-ji Temple​​: The National Treasure main hall features an irimoya-zukuri roof with traditional tile roofing (hongawarabuki). A medicine jar is carved into the frog-leg strut (kaerumata) of the front step canopy (gohai). Within the precinct stand a 17-meter-tall three-story pagoda designated as an Important Cultural Property and a 1,200-tsubo (approx. 4,000 square meters) rose garden opened in 1957.

Recommended Route and Travel Time

The estimated time required is about 5 hours. The straight-line distance between each temple is about 5 kilometers.

The starting point, Akishino-dera Temple, has a parking lot for 12 standard cars. Enter through the East Gate and pass through the moss-covered front garden toward the main hall. Before entering the hall, take time to view from the outside the gently sloped roof extending horizontally.

From Akishino-dera Temple, head west-northwest for about 4.8 kilometers in a straight line to Chokyu-ji Temple. On the way in Tomigaoka, Nara City, sits the Shohaku Art Museum, which exhibits works by three generations of painters: Uemura Shoen, Shoko, and Atsushi, offering a great detour. Check in advance as it closes during exhibition transition periods and parking capacity is limited.

To reach Chokyu-ji Temple, Prefectural Road 7 along the Tomio River is convenient. Turn at the bridge with red balustrades. A parking lot is available. Within the grounds, walk up a gentle slope toward the main hall while keeping the lotus pond with red balustrades on your left. Take your time admiring the curves of the cypress bark roof set against the forest.

From Chokyu-ji Temple, travel south along Prefectural Road 7. Ryosen-ji Temple is about 5.2 kilometers in a straight line. Turn right at the "Ryosen-ji Mae" intersection to arrive shortly. The parking lot accommodates 100 cars. The roses bloom from early May to mid-June and from mid-October to early November. The special viewing of the hidden Buddha runs from October 23 to the second Sunday in November, coinciding with the autumn rose season.

If you are not driving, you can visit by bus from Kintetsu railway stations. Akishino-dera Temple is a 6-minute bus ride from the North Exit of Yamato-Saidaiji Station. For Chokyu-ji Temple, take a bus from Tomio Station to "Ikoma Kamimachi" and walk for 10 minutes, though buses run only about once per hour. Ryosen-ji Temple is an 8-minute bus ride from Tomio Station.

Experience Summary

The gentle hipped roof of Akishino-dera Temple, the cypress bark thatch of Chokyu-ji Temple, and the tiled hip-and-gable roof of Ryosen-ji Temple. While all three main halls are regarded as Kamakura-period structures, their roof shapes and roofing materials differ. Spend a day driving through the temples west of Nara City while comparing these three National Treasure main halls.