Dainenbutsuji Temple

Dainenbutsuji is the head temple of the Yuzu Nenbutsu sect in Hirano Ward, Osaka, a short walk from JR Hirano Station. Tradition says the monk Ryonin founded it in 1127 by order of the retired emperor Toba, and it is called Japan's first nenbutsu training hall. The grounds cover about 24,000 square meters and hold more than 30 buildings. The main hall was rebuilt in 1938 after a fire in 1908; made of zelkova wood with a copper roof, it is described as the largest wooden building in Osaka Prefecture. The temple preserves a National Treasure scroll fragment (on deposit at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts) and several Important Cultural Properties. From May 1 to 5 each year it holds Manbu Oneri, a ceremony in which monks dressed as 25 bodhisattvas cross a bridge into the hall; it is an Osaka City intangible folk cultural property. Admission is free, and the temple is open from 9:30 to 16:30.