Suruga kokubun-ji, Buddhist temple in Aoi-ku, Japan
Suruga kokubun-ji is a Buddhist temple in Aoi-ku whose archaeological remains reveal foundations of pagodas, halls, and other religious structures. The excavated site displays the spatial layout of what was once a large monastic complex with separate buildings for various purposes.
Emperor Shōmu founded this temple in 741 as part of a nationwide effort to establish Buddhist monasteries in each province. The site remained an active religious center for several centuries before eventually falling into decline.
The layout of the remaining foundations shows how different areas once served for prayer, teaching, and monastic life. Walking among these stones gives a sense of how the community was organized around its spiritual practices.
The site is now an excavation area where visitors can see the marked foundations of buildings on the ground. A visit requires some imagination to visualize the original structures from the remains, but the open layout makes it easy to walk through and explore at your own pace.
Archaeological digs from 1985 to 2009 revealed that a pagoda on the grounds predated the main temple buildings by some time. This discovery suggests a religious site may have existed here before the imperial order for provincial temples was issued.
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