Kamiyodo Haiji, Buddhist temple ruins in Yonago, Japan

Kamiyodo Haiji is an archaeological site featuring the foundations of temple buildings, including a main hall and three pagodas arranged in a north-to-south line along a hillside. The remains reveal careful planning of the complex with structural details reflecting early Buddhist architecture.

Built in the late 7th century, the temple was repaired in the mid-8th century and destroyed by fire in the 10th or 11th century. Excavations from 1991 to 1993 uncovered the Kondō and three pagodas; a tile inscribed with the year 'Kimi' suggests construction around 683.

The wall-painting fragments include the heads of a heavenly general and a bodhisattva, a cuirass, lotus petals and a three-peaked mountain rising from clouds, a forerunner of later landscape painting. Pigments such as vermilion, malachite and azurite show mainland influence. Some fragments depict only a halo and lotus seat without the Buddha figure, for reasons that remain unclear.

Visitors can explore artifacts and reconstructions at the Kamiyodo Hakuhō-no-Oka Exhibition Hall, located near the archaeological site. The exhibition center provides a helpful overview of the discoveries and the site's history.

The temple complex exhibits a rare architectural layout with three pagodas and double foundations showing influences from Baekje construction techniques. These design features suggest that early Japanese architects drew inspiration from Korean building practices.