Owari Kokubunji, Buddhist temple in Yawase, Inazawa, Japan
Owari Kokubunji is a Buddhist temple in the Yawase district of Inazawa, Japan, built in the Rinzai Zen style. Its central hall shelters a Yakushi Nyorai statue alongside five wooden figures from the Kamakura and Muromachi periods.
The temple was founded in 741 by order of Emperor Shomu as part of a nationwide network of provincial temples intended to spread Buddhism across Japan. The current site stands close to the original location, whose foundations were uncovered through excavations.
The temple houses five wooden statues that show how religious artwork was valued and preserved across centuries. These figures from the Kamakura and Muromachi periods stand as important cultural property that visitors can experience firsthand.
The temple is accessible from the Yawase Kannon-mae bus stop, served by a Meitetsu bus from Konomiya Station, followed by a short walk. The grounds can be uneven, and visitors remove their shoes to enter the traditional indoor spaces.
The foundation stones of the original 8th-century complex were uncovered during excavations, leading to the site's designation as a National Historic Site in 2012. This find allowed researchers to reconstruct the layout of the grounds as they existed over 1,000 years ago.
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