Ryūsen-ji, Buddhist temple in Tondabayashi, Japan.
Ryūsen-ji is a Buddhist temple in Tondabayashi, Osaka Prefecture, listed as a Place of Scenic Beauty and an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The grounds feature a traditional garden centered on a pond where water lilies and lotus flowers bloom at different times of year.
The temple was founded in 594 by Soga no Umako, placing it among the earliest Buddhist sites in the region. It was later restored by Kobo Daishi, the monk credited with founding the Shingon school of Japanese Buddhism.
The temple sits along the Kawachi-Asuka pilgrimage route, one of the oldest Buddhist circuits in the region. Visitors who walk the route today still pass through the temple grounds as pilgrims have done for centuries.
The temple is a short walk from Ryusen bus stop, west of Tondabayashi Station in Osaka Prefecture. Visiting in summer is a good idea if you want to see the lotus flowers in bloom around the garden pond.
The temple's Nio-mon gate was built in 1275 and has kept its original structure largely intact ever since. It is considered one of the few surviving temple gates from the Kamakura period in this part of Japan.
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