Hōrin-ji: The Pagoda Ikaruga Rebuilt

Meet a rebuilt three-storey pagoda and Asuka-period sculpture north of Hōryū-ji.

AI-generated visual study · not a documentary photograph

Discover Hōrin-ji: The Pagoda Ikaruga Rebuilt

Hōrin-ji completes a useful comparison of Ikaruga's three famous towers, but its three-storey pagoda tells a different story from Hōki-ji's survivor. The ancient tower burned after a lightning strike in 1944; priests, residents and supporters raised the resources to rebuild it in an early style, with the work completed in 1975. A visitor can pair that modern act of preservation with much older Buddhist sculpture in the lecture-hall storehouse. The temple's own account treats its seventh-century founder as a tradition with more than one version, so the on-site story is strongest when it distinguishes what survives, what was rebuilt, and what remains uncertain.

Read the rebuilt tower honestly

Hōrin-ji is one of the Ikaruga Three Towers with Hōryū-ji and Hōki-ji. Its original pagoda survived a seventeenth-century storm that damaged the compound, but lightning destroyed it in July 1944. The temple dates completion of the present three-storey tower to March 1975 and the dedication to November of that year. Carpenter Tsunekazu Nishioka directed its timber work. The older prefectural English directory says 1978; the operator's 1975 chronology and Ikaruga's fiftieth-anniversary notice resolve this. The present tower is an important reconstruction, not a surviving ancient National Treasure building.

Spend time with the older sculptures

The present lecture-hall collection room gathers eleven Buddhist figures, including the main image of Yakushi Nyorai, after the former hall became unsafe. This is where the material age of the temple becomes visible beside the reconstructed tower. The temple also identifies an Eleven-faced Kannon from the Heian period among its important works. Check which rooms and objects are accessible during the visit; a sacred object mentioned on a site is not a guarantee of unrestricted display. Keep a quiet pace around worshippers.

Understand Myōken and the November 2026 opening

Hōrin-ji's Myōken-dō enshrines a secret image associated with the North Star and hosts specific rites. The temple says its 2026 autumn special exhibition opens the hall and image from 1–8 November, 9:00–16:00, last reception 15:50. The Nara Prefecture event listing gives the special-opening fee as ¥600 for adults, ¥500 for junior/high-school students and ¥200 for primary-school students; the temple's ordinary admission from 1 April 2026 is ¥600/¥500/¥300. Use the event-specific ¥200 child price for the dated opening and reconfirm before travelling. Outside the announced dates, do not expect to see the hidden image. The temple also holds a monthly sutra-copying gathering; see the separate experience listing and reconfirm the next date.

Choose the country-lane approach

The operator places Hōrin-ji in Mii, north of Hōryū-ji, and recommends the retained rural walk or a bicycle ride through Ikaruga's fields. From JR Hōryūji Station it estimates about 35 minutes on foot. Buses from Kintetsu Kōriyama, Kintetsu Tsutsui or JR Ōji can reach Chūgūji-mae, followed by around 15 minutes on foot; check today's route and frequency. The temple gives Hōki-ji as roughly eight minutes' walk from its gate and Hōryū-ji's Eastern Precinct as about fifteen. These are separate religious sites with separate admissions.

Check the revised 2026 fare and temple etiquette

The operator lists 8:00–17:00 from March through November and 8:00–16:30 from December through February, with no regular closing day. It raised individual admission on 1 April 2026 to ¥600 for adults, ¥500 for junior- and high-school students and ¥300 for primary-school children. Groups of thirty or more have different prices. A free car park by the gate holds around ten ordinary cars, but a space is not guaranteed. The operator asks visitors not to eat on the grounds and to take rubbish away. Its reviewed pages do not state a universal photography permission, so check signs and staff instructions, especially in halls with sculptures.

What to look for

1975 pagoda reconstruction after the 1944 fire

Eleven Buddhist figures gathered in the lecture-hall collection room

Short rural walk linking Hōrin-ji and Hōki-ji

Photo notes

No Hōrin-ji image has been licensed for MyNara. The reviewed operator guide gives eating and rubbish rules but no general permission to photograph sculptures, worship or halls. Follow displayed rules and ask temple staff before photography; commercial publication needs its own permission.

Plan your visit

Location1570 Mii, Ikaruga · approximate prefectural directory point

Visitor detailsAddress: 1570 Mii, Ikaruga Town, Ikoma DistrictMar–Nov: 8:00–17:00, per templeDec–Feb: 8:00–16:30, per templeIndividual admission: Since Apr 2026: adults ¥600; junior/high school ¥500; primary school ¥300Group admission (30+): Adults ¥480; junior/high school ¥400; primary school ¥240, per the temple's current guideRegular closure: None listed by temple; check any special serviceParking: Around ten ordinary cars, free by temple gate; availability unconfirmedFrom JR Hōryūji: About 35 minutes on foot, per temple2026 autumn special opening: Myōken-dō and hidden image: 1–8 Nov, 9:00–16:00 (last reception 15:50); special fee listed by Nara Prefecture: adult ¥600, junior/high-school ¥500, primary school ¥200; confirm before visitingVisitor information sources reviewed 24 October 2026. Confirm current hours and fees before visiting.Check source for visitor details The operator revised ordinary admission on 1 April 2026; Visit Nara's older English listing still says ¥500/¥400/¥200. Use the current operator standard prices of ¥600/¥500/¥300, with 30+ group prices of ¥480/¥400/¥240. For the separately announced 1–8 November 2026 Myōken-dō special opening, the Nara Prefecture event listing gives the event fee of ¥600/¥500/¥200; the event-specific child price differs from the operator's ordinary ¥300 child tariff. Reconfirm the event before travelling. The operator dates pagoda completion to March 1975, whereas the older English listing says 1978; use 1975. The temple's two founding stories are traditions, not a certain contemporary construction record. Outside announced openings, ordinary entry does not promise a view of the secret image. Monthly sutra-copying is described in a separate experience guide; confirm its next date and language. Ask the temple about payment methods, hall steps and indoor photography if these affect your visit.

Getting thereFrom JR Hōryūji Station, allow the temple's estimated 35-minute walk to 1570 Mii. Alternatively check current Nara Kotsu service from Kintetsu Kōriyama or Tsutsui, or JR Ōji, to Chūgūji-mae; the temple then estimates another 15 minutes on foot. Hōki-ji is listed around eight minutes' walk away. If driving, the operator identifies a free gate-side car park for roughly ten cars and a separate municipal bus parking area. The map point is an approximate directory coordinate, not a guaranteed parking entrance.

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Hōki-ji: Ikaruga's Original Three-Storey Pagoda — illustrative image

Sources & editorial status

Original MyNara draft based on the linked sources. Sources reviewed 24 October 2026. Opening arrangements, prices and offers may change; use the operator's current information before travelling.