Anao-ji
The Anao-ji ( Japanese 穴 太 寺 ) is a Buddhist temple in the city of Kameoka , Kyoto Prefecture in Japan . The temple is associated with the Tendai-shu belief . The main image of the temple is a statue of Kannon (Sho-Kannon). The Anao-ji is the 21st temple of the Saigoku pilgrimage route ( 西 国 三十 三 箇 所 , Saigoku sanjūsankasho ).
According to a tradition that can be traced back to 1450, the temple is said to have been founded in 705 on the decree of Emperor Mommu by the nobleman Otomo Komaru. Initially, the main image of the temple was a figure of Bhaisajyaguru , the Buddha of Healing. However, in the Heian period , a figure of Sho-Kannon became the main image of the temple. The rededication is linked to a legend that is also reported in the anthology Konjaku Monogatarishū : After the noble Uji no Miyanori had generously rewarded a sculptor for a Kannon statue, he regretted his generosity. He killed the sculptor on the way back to Kyoto. When he returned home, however, he found that the statue had a fatal wound instead of the sculptor and that he had arrived safely in Kyoto.
The temple was destroyed by fire several times during its existence, so none of the buildings date from the time the temple was founded. The main hall was built in 1735 and is a registered cultural asset of Kyoto Prefecture . The same applies to the pagoda ( Tō ) built in the style of Shingon-shū in 1804 and the entrance gate from the Edo period.
The temple is often visited for a statue of the Buddha ( Shaka Nehanzō ) entering nirvana , which is said to have healing powers. Many believers donate blankets as thanks to the temple, which are placed over the statue on a daily basis. The landscaped garden from the Muromachi period on the temple grounds is also worth seeing .
literature
- Valeria Jana Schwanitz and August Wierling: Saigoku. On the way in Japan's western lands . Manpuku-Verlag, Potsdam 2012, ISBN 978-3-9815168-0-7 .
Web links
Coordinates: 35 ° 0 '24 " N , 135 ° 32' 57.1" E