Okadera Temple

Okadera stands halfway up Mt. Oka overlooking the village of Asuka, and calls itself Japan's first temple for warding off misfortune. It belongs to the Buzan branch of Shingon Buddhism. Temple tradition says the priest Genbo founded it by imperial order, building halls on the site of Prince Kusakabe's Oka Palace. Genbo was the founder of Japan's Hosso school, and Ryoben and Gyoki were among his disciples. The temple's name first appears in records in 740.

The main image is a seated Nyoirin Kannon made of clay, about 4.85 m tall, the largest clay statue in Japan and an Important Cultural Property. A legend says Genbo sealed an evil dragon in a pond on the grounds, now called Ryugai Pond, and this is the root of the temple's role in warding off misfortune. The wooden-core dry-lacquer statue of Genbo is a National Treasure.

The temple is open from 8:30 to 17:00 (until 16:30 from December to February), and admission is 500 yen for adults according to the official site. From the bus stop it is about a 10 minute walk. Ishibutai Tumulus is about 600 m away and Asuka-dera about 1.1 km, so the temple fits well into a day on foot in Asuka.