Abe Monju-in Temple, Buddhist temple in Sakurai, Japan
Abe Monju-in is a Buddhist temple in Sakurai that ranks among the important cultural properties of Japan and displays a seven-meter wooden sculpture from the 13th century. The central hall houses the main figure with four companions, all arranged on a shared platform.
The site originated in the 7th century under a different name and later became a center for pilgrims and believers. In the 9th century the temple received its present name after a monk experienced a vision of a golden image here.
The temple takes its name from a 9th-century monk who saw a golden image of Monju and gave the site its current identity. Visitors can see the wooden figure of the deity on a lion from 1203, funded by donations from many believers.
The temple lies in the Abe district of Sakurai; from Sakurai Station on the JR Sakurai Line or Kintetsu Osaka Line it is about a 25-minute walk, or a Nara Kotsu bus ride to the Abe Monju-in stop. A car park holds 300 vehicles. Admission, amulets and prayer fees can be paid by electronic money at a terminal in the main hall.
The temple's grounds hold two kofun: the Nishi Kofun, a seventh-century round tomb about 25 metres across with an exposed corridor-style stone chamber, widely linked to Abe no Kurahashimaro, and the Higashi Kofun, long worshipped as the Akai-kutsu cave. The Nishi Kofun was designated a Special Historic Site in 1952.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,344 contributors worldwide.
