Muro-ji Temple

Cross the vermilion arched bridge over the Muro River and the precinct begins, with halls and pagodas scattered among the trees from the foot of the mountain to its slopes. Muro-ji in Uda, Nara Prefecture, is the head temple of the Muro-ji school of Shingon Buddhism, and its principal image is Nyoirin Kannon. It has long been known as "Mount Koya for women," a name that comes from the fact that it accepted women pilgrims even when Mount Koya strictly barred them; the name is said to have taken hold in its present form from the Edo period onward.

Tradition says it was founded in the Hoki era (770-781) by Kenkyo, a monk of Kofuku-ji. The real founder is thought to have been his successor, Shuen. The area had long had a strong dragon-deity faith, and it is said that five pure monks performed a rite for long life for the recovery of Prince Yamabe, who later became Emperor Kanmu. In 1694, in the Edo period, the temple came under the care of the priest Gojiin Ryuko and became a Shingon temple affiliated with Gokoku-ji.

The heart of the visit is the Golden Hall, a National Treasure and an early Heian-period building. Inside stands the central image, a standing Shaka Nyorai (National Treasure, about 2.4 m tall, carved from a single block of kaya wood). Because the Seven Buddhas of Medicine are shown on its halo, it is thought to have been made originally as a Yakushi Nyorai. A standing Eleven-Headed Kannon is also a National Treasure, while the standing Yakushi Nyorai, Monju Bosatsu and Jizo Bosatsu are Important Cultural Properties. The Twelve Divine Generals stand in front. The wall painting "Mandala of Taishakuten (attributed)," which stands behind the main image, is a National Treasure, but because it is hard to see it is also called "the hardest-to-see National Treasure in Japan."

The Main Hall (Kanjodo) was built in 1308, in the Kamakura period; it is a National Treasure and a hall used for the esoteric Kanjo initiation ritual. The five-story pagoda is a National Treasure said to have been built around 800. It is the second-oldest wooden five-story pagoda in Japan after the one at Horyu-ji, and stands about 16 m tall. It is regarded as the smallest five-story pagoda standing outdoors in Japan. Its finial carries a treasure vase in place of the usual water flame. It was badly damaged by a typhoon in 1998 and restored between 1999 and 2000. The vermilion pagoda set against green trees is the scene most associated with Muro-ji.

Beyond the pagoda lies the Okunoin (Mieido), which enshrines Kobo Daishi, reached by climbing about 400 steep stone steps. In 2020 a Treasure Hall opened, housing statues moved from the Golden Hall and elsewhere.

Each season has its own scenery. From mid-April to mid-May, about 3,000 rhododendron plants color the grounds. From mid-November to early December autumn leaves dye the mountain.

Allow about an hour and a half to two hours if you climb to the Okunoin. Hours are 8:30 to 17:00 from April 1 to November 30 and 9:00 to 16:00 from December 1 to March 31, and the admission fee is 600 yen for adults (junior high school age and up) and 400 yen for elementary school children. From Muroguchi-Ono Station on the Kintetsu Osaka Line, take a bus to the terminus, and the temple is right there. Upstream along the Muro River stands Muro Ryuketsu Shrine, whose dragon cave has been an object of worship.