ABOUT
About this spot
Daian-ji is a Koyasan Shingon temple in Nara City and one of the Seven Great Temples of Nara. Its main object of worship is an eleven-headed Kannon. Today it is known as the "cancer-warding temple", and the grounds include a prayer mound for breast cancer. It stands in a quiet residential area, away from the crowds around Nara Park. The temple traces its origins to Kudara-dera, begun in 639 under Emperor Jomei and regarded as Japan's first state temple. It was later renamed Takechi-dera and Daikandai-ji, and the generally accepted theory is that it moved to its present site with the transfer of the capital to Heijo-kyo, in 716. It once had seven-story pagodas to the east and west, but it declined from the Heian period and lost its main halls in a fire in 1017. It was revived in 1882, and the present main hall dates from 1922. The highlights are the wooden Buddhist statues, thought to date from the late Nara period, kept in the Sangyoden hall and designated Important Cultural Properties. The main Eleven-Headed Kannon is a hidden image shown only in autumn, and the Horse-Headed Kannon in the Inanaki hall is shown only in March. The South Gate, moved from the former Ichijo-in of Kofuku-ji, also stands on the grounds. Events include the Konin-kai on January 23 and the bamboo memorial on June 23, when warmed sasa sake is offered. Allow about an hour. Gango-ji, Kofuku-ji and Yakushi-ji are within about 2.6 km.
Last updated October 23, 2026