Shin-Yakushi-ji Temple
See Yakushi Nyorai encircled by clay guardian figures inside a surviving eighth-century hall.
Verified site photographs are being prepared.Discover Shin-Yakushi-ji Temple
Shin-Yakushi-ji was founded in 747 under Empress Komyo to pray for Emperor Shomu's recovery. The large original compound did not survive, but its current hall is itself an eighth-century building. Inside, a wooden Yakushi Nyorai sits on a circular platform with the Twelve Heavenly Generals around him. That spatial arrangement is the visit's centre: one of the twelve is a modern replacement, so the group should not be described as twelve untouched Nara-period sculptures.
The hall is part of the evidence
The temple explains that its original main golden hall once stood farther west, but was lost after a tenth-century storm. The surviving building was probably first a place for Buddhist rites rather than the old golden hall; later it became the principal worship hall. Look up at the exposed roof structure and down to the wide circular earthen platform that gathers the images in one room.
Look from Buddha to guardians
The seated Yakushi is carved primarily from kaya wood and holds a medicine jar. The temple dates it to the late Nara or early Heian period. Around it, eleven surviving Nara-period clay guardians have different faces and postures. The twelfth figure is a 1931 reconstruction; the operator also notes that temple and national designation names for individual guardians differ, so a labelled name may not match another guide's diagram.
Notice how clay became colour
The temple describes clay modelled around wooden armatures wrapped with rope, then finished with fibres and mica in the surface layer. Glass eyes and fragments of blue, red, green and purple pigments survive. This is more useful for understanding the figures than treating their present earth tones as the original colour scheme.
Make time for the later precinct
Outside the hall, the Jizo hall and bell tower are Kamakura-period buildings, with a Nara-period bell inside the latter. The south gate also belongs to a later building phase. A short circuit of these structures shows that the site was rebuilt and reinterpreted across centuries rather than preserved in a single 747 state.
What to look for
Eighth-century hall and circular earthen platform
Wooden Yakushi Nyorai and eleven surviving clay guardians
Kamakura-period Jizo hall and bell tower
Photo notes
No permission to photograph the Buddhist images or reuse the temple's gallery pictures was established from the pages checked. Follow signs inside the worship hall and ask staff before photographing sculptures, other worshippers or ceremonies. Obtain separate licence before using operator photos on MyNara.
Make a day of it
Explore guides close to this map point, then check the actual route before travelling. Distances below are straight lines, not walking distances or travel times; map points may not be entrances.
Sources & editorial status
Original MyNara draft based on the linked sources. Sources reviewed 20 October 2026. Opening arrangements, prices and offers may change; use the operator's current information before travelling.