Hōrin-ji (Nara)

This article is about the temple in Nara Prefecture. For the one in Kyoto Prefecture, see Hōrin-ji (Kyoto). For the one in Shiga Prefecture, see Mii-dera.

Hōrin-ji (法輪寺, 法琳寺, 法林寺), or Mii-dera (三井寺, 御井寺) is a Buddhist temple in Mii, Ikaruga, Nara, Japan. The temple is located about a kilometer north of Hōryū-ji's Tō-in. The temple's sangō prefix is Myōken-san (妙見山).

Myōkensan Hōrin-ji 法輪寺
The three-storied pagoda (1975) of Hōrin-ji
Religion
Affiliation	Shōtoku-shū
Deity	Yakushi Nyorai (Bhaisajyaguru)
Location
Location	1570 Mii, Ikaruga-chō, Ikoma-gun, Nara-ken
Country	Japan
Architecture
Founder	Prince Yamashiro or Kudara Kaihōshi, Enmyōshi and Shimohishinmotsu
Completed	622 or 670
Website
www1.kcn.ne.jp/~horinji

History

The origin of the temple is not certain, although there are two prevalent theories. The temple was either built in 622 AD by Prince Yamashiro in his wish for his father, Prince Regent Shōtoku, to recover from an illness or in 670 by three monks as part of the reconstruction of Hōryū-ji, which had burned down that same year.

The original date of construction is unclear, while studies so far suggest it was in the seventh century. The temple was a designated national treasure until the last remaining original structure of the complex, the three-story pagoda, was hit by lightning in 1944, and burnt to ground. The current pagoda is a reconstruction from 1975, and holds the original reliquary that was saved from the fire in 1944.

The temple holds six Buddhist statues that are designated important cultural assets. These are open to public as regular exhibits.

Gallery

• 
  The Minamimon gate
• 
  The kon-dō (main hall)
• 
  The pagoda
• 
  The lecture hall (講堂, kōdō)

References

• Pamphlet distributed at Hōrin-ji, obtained April 7, 2007
• Daijirin Japanese dictionary, 3rd edition
• Kōjien Japanese dictionary, 5th edition

External links

• Hōrin-ji Homepage (Japanese) Archived 2012-03-06 at the Wayback Machine