Registration Date：1952.11.22
The Twelve Divine Generals (National Treasure), the most famous of which is General Korihara.
Wooden Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru), the principal image of the temple (National Treasure).
The Twelve Divine Generals surround Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru) as if to protect him.
Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru) ・The Twelve Divine Generals are located in this Main Hall (National Treasure)
(Kimonos can be rented around Nara Station.)
Please enter from the left side of the Main Hall.
The precincts in spring.
Every year on the night of April 8th, an event called "Otamatsuri" is held.
The "O-Taimatsu" is a traditional event for good luck and exorcism.
More than a dozen torches will circle around the Main Hall, creating a magical scene.
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Shinyakushiji Temple was built 1,300 years ago by Empress Komyo to pray for the healing of Emperor Shomu, who built "The Great Buddha of Nara" at Todaiji Temple. The highlight of the temple is the Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru), which is said to cure all diseases, and the oldest and largest "The Twelve Divine Generals Stand", which surrounds the Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru) in a circle and protects it. The Twelve Divine Generals". Shinyakushiji Temple official website: http://www.shinyakushiji.or.jp/
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Description
Shinyakushiji Temple was built in the year 747 to pray for the healing of Emperor Shomu, who was suffering from illness. Shomu was the emperor who had the Great Buddha of Nara (the bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana in Todaiji Temple) built, but he fell ill while it was being constructed. In response, Buddhist ceremonies were held in numerous places in an effort to cure the emperor's illness, and Empress Komyo constructed Shinyakushiji Temple. In 751, a ceremony to pray for the long life of Emperor Shomu was held at Shinyakushiji Temple, and the Great Buddha of Nara was successfully completed. At the time of its initial construction, Shinyakushiji was a large temple complex about 440 meters square, with seven halls, including the Kondo (main hall) and pagodas on the east and west sides. Many of these halls, however, were burned down or destroyed by lightning strikes in 780 and a typhoon in 962, and the temple had been reconstructed in its current form by the 13th century. The current main hall has been designated as a National Treasure, as it is one of the few important structures that escaped damage from lightning strikes and typhoons and remains in its original state as it was built the 8th century. Inside the main hall, there are more National Treasures that are approximately 1,300 years old: a statue of a seated Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru), and statues of the standing Twelve Divine Generals.
This wooden statue of a seated Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru) is the principal image of Shinyakushiji Temple, and is worshipped as a Buddha who cures illnesses. It is said that the medicine pot in his left hand contains an elixir that cures all illnesses, both physical and mental. The statue is thought to have been created in the 9th century.
The head and torso are carved from a single Japanese torreya tree, and as the core of the tree was used, the original tree is considered to have had a diameter two to three times that of the width of the statue's body. It is said that the tree was more than 1,000 years old when it was used to make the statue, so the Buddha statue, which was made roughly 1,100 years ago, now exists more than 2,000 years after the birth of the tree.
The "halo" behind the statue, which represents the light emitted from the body of the Buddha, is made with a Western design featuring the large leaves of the acanthus, a plant originating from the Silk Road, fluttering and blooming upward. The six small Buddhas on the flower, together with the main image, represent the Seven Yakushi Buddhas, or the seven Buddhas that, along with the principal Buddha, were enshrined at the time of the temple's construction to pray for the healing of Emperor Shomu's illness.
This calm yet powerful and massive figure is considered to be one of the greatest Buddha sculptures in all of Japan, hence its designation as a National Treasure.
During his training, Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru) made twelve vows in order to save people. Each of those twelve vows was deified, becoming the Twelve Divine Generals. Each general has 7,000 subordinates, for a total of 84,000, and as Yakushi Nyorai's attendants they provide protection for the twelve directions.
The statues of the standing Twelve Divine Generals, made in the 8th century, are both the oldest and the largest statues of these figures, and have been designated as National Treasures as masterpieces of earthen sculpture. Earthen statues are made by wrapping a rope around a wooden frame, adding a mixture of clay and straw to create a rough shape, and then coating it with clay mixed with paper and mica. Colored blown glass balls are used for the eyes. The surfaces of the statues were adorned with bright and three-dimensional colors, and some of the original colors are still visible today.
Among the Twelve Divine Generals, each of which is unique and full of dynamism, one particularly popular figure is Basara, whose hair is standing up and who wears an angry expression, who has been featured on a postage stamp design.
There is no other temple or shrine where you can see twelve National Treasures, with the seated statue of Yakushi Nyorai at the center, from such a close distance.
Cultural property information
【Opening hours】
9:00-17:00
【Closing day】
None
【Fee】
Individuals: Adults 600 yen, high school and junior high school students 350 yen, elementary school students 150 yen Groups: Adults 550 yen, high school and junior high school students 300 yen, elementary school students 120 yen
