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Tourist Attractions and Experiences

Dainenji Temple (Ibaraki City)

Let your thoughts drift to the ancient history of Ibaraki City at Dainenji Temple, a site deeply linked to historical statesman Fujiwara no Kamatari.

Dainenji Temple stands atop a plateau at the end of a stone staircase, alongside a romantic historical village and surrounded by ruins linked to historical statesman Fujiwara no Kamatari. The temple itself was founded around the 7th century by Kamatari and his eldest son. It transformed into a Pure Land Buddhist training hall from the 16th to the 17th century and remains as such today. The mountain behind the temple is home to an ancient, dense cluster of Kofun burial mounds, signifying its status as a site for prayers even in ancient days. It also holds relics like a standing statue of the Amida Nyorai Buddha dating back to the Heian era and a similarly standing statue of the deity Bishamonten (an Ibaraki City-designated Important Cultural Property) crafted by the Nara Busshi Buddhist priest group, among others. It also holds a standing statue of the bodhisattva Jizo that is said to have drifted down the Ai River to the temple and to grant prayers for rain. The beautiful golden bamboo groves in the temple gardens are believed to be the reason Fujiwara no Kamatari founded a temple here. The local villagers have a legend saying that the tips of the bamboo branches sometimes wither because Kamatari's head was moved from here and reburied in Tounomine in Nara was later re-interred here.

Basic information

Open
Advance reservations required for viewing interior hall
Directions
Roughly a 5-minute walk from the Ai bus stop; board Hankyu bus 77 or 89 from Ibaraki-shi Station on the Hankyu Line
Location
3-17-3 Ai, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka, 567-0001
Tel
072-643-7678
URL
http://dainenji.jimdo.com/
Other
Equinox Segaki purification ritual, Juya prayer ritual, Joya New Year's bell ceremony, Shakyo-e Sutra transcription

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