Nenbutsu-ji, sometimes known by its full name of Adashino Nenbutsu-ji (仏野念仏寺) is a temple in the extreme north-west corner of Arashiyama. Adashino, the name of the area, was a popular place to bury dead people as far back as the 8th century. The temple was founded around that time, and later came under the influence of famous priest Honen during the 12th century (see Honen-in (法然院)). The name Nenbutsu-ji dates from that time.
Nenbutsu-ji is famous for its multitude of tombstones (the pamphlet says 8000). Most of them are called mizuko-jizo (水子地蔵). They are used in case of stillborn children of aborted pregnancies, hence their name (mizuko literally means "water child"). The stones were not originally all set in Nenbutsuji; they were discovered in the early 20th century and gathered here. Each year, candles are lit in front of each tombstone during a festival held on the 23rd and 24th of August.
Besides its numerous jizo stones, the temple has a photogenic bamboo path that climbs in a bamboo forest to a cemetery. It is one of a few of this kind in Kyoto, together with e.g. the Bamboo Road and the Bamboo Alley. Recommended for: Access: Nearby: Giyō-ji 祇王寺 (420m), Takiguchi-dera 滝口寺 (450m), Otagi Nenbutsu-ji 愛宕念仏寺 (610m), Nison-in 二尊院 (670m), Enri-an 厭離庵 (710m), Jōjakkō-ji 常寂光寺 (880m), the Rakushisha 落柿舎 (900m), Hōkyō-in 宝筺院 (940m), Seiryō-ji 清涼寺 (950m), Furoan フロアン (980m),... External links: Website, ウィキペディア, Wikipedia, Wikipédia, Kyoto Navi, Trip Advisor, Kyoto Design, 京都風光, Inside Kyoto, Marutake, そうだ京都, Satellite view, Map Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Kyoto, 京都, arashiyama, 嵐山, Adashino Nenbutsu-ji, 化野念仏寺, temple, 寺院, 仏閣 Statistics: visited on 3 occasions, id 293, 17 photos (9 extra photos can be found in the archive). |
