Jōdo-ji Temple, Buddhist temple in Ono, Japan
Jōdo-ji is a Buddhist temple in Ono that houses a large wooden hall built in the Daibutsu architectural style. Inside stands a golden statue group with the Amida Buddha and two attendant figures, which together reach more than five meters in height.
The temple's predecessor is Kowatashi-ji, said to have been founded by Gyōki about two kilometres west of the present site. In 1194 Chōgen, then 61 and chief promoter of the reconstruction of Tōdai-ji's Great Buddha, moved Kowatashi-ji here and renamed it Jōdo-ji, making it the Harima branch of Tōdai-ji. The Yakushi-dō and Jōdo-dō were built in the Daibutsu style in 1197; the Yakushi-dō burned in 1498 and was rebuilt in 1517.
The name Jōdo means Pure Land and refers to the Buddhist idea of a paradise where believers go after death. Visitors today see the large statue group inside the hall, which represents this spiritual world.
The temple is in Jōdani-chō, Ono; take the Kobe Electric Railway Ao Line to Ono Station, then the Ranran bus (north loop or Nakatani route) to Jōdo-ji stop, right by the temple. The precinct is entered through a gate, and the gravel forecourt gives access to the halls.
Around the hall grow thousands of hydrangeas in different colors, which bloom in early summer. These plants turn the paths around the temple grounds into a sea of blue, purple and pink flowers.
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