Chugu-ji Temple

4.0

"This Buddhist temple is affiliated with Prince Shotoku and is also the oldest Buddhist convent in Japan. Today, the temple adjoins the Horyuji's Eastern Precinct, but it is said to have originally been built opposite the Horyuji to the west with Prince Shotoku's Ikaruganomiya palace in between. Particularly worthy of seeing is the temple's wooden statue depicting a bodhisattva in the half-lotus position. One of only a very few such statues making use of the so-called ""archaic smile,"" some count it alongside the Sphinx and the Mona Lisa as one of the three great smiling artworks of the world. A replica of the Tenjukoku Shucho Mandala, the oldest work of embroidery art in Japan and a designated National Treasure, is enshrined in the main temple building."

Spot details

Address: Nara Ikoma-gun Ikarugacho Horyuji Kita 1-1-2 Map
Area: Ikaruga / Yamatokoriyama Area
Phone: 0745752106
Hours: [10/1-3/20] 9:00-16:00 (Last entry 15:45)
[3/21-9/30] 9:00-16:30 (Last entry 16:15)
Fees: [Admission fee]
[Adult]600yen
[Junior high school students]450yen
[Elementary school students]300yen
Parking Lot: Not available (Please use the nearby Fee parking lot)
Smoking: Not available
Wi-Fi: Not available

Information Sources: NAVITIME JAPAN

Itineraries about this spot

18 days: Chiba, Aichi, Gifu, Kyoto, Hyogo, Osaka, Nara, Tokyo, Kanagawa

18 day(s)

Review

Miroku Buddha

Reviewed : 2019.12.16

This old temple is adjacent to Horyuji’s Yumedono, and you you hold the ticket for Horyuji, you can get a discount for admission. In this temple, there is a famous Miroku Buddha, which is designated...
You can afford to miss thhis one

Reviewed : 2018.09.07

Y600 admission to view three beautiful old bhuddas and an embroidery, in a modern concrete monstrosity of a temple over a green foul smelling pond. Little else to redeem it!
Beautiful and can be included in Horyuji ticket

Reviewed : 2016.07.05

This temple is within the large Horyu-ji complex and definitely worth a visit. This small temple has one of the most beautiful grouping of statues we saw in Japan. It was also a very tranquil place...