Joruriji Temple

A Temple of Tono with the Last Nine-Buddha Hall

The Joruriji Temple (浄瑠璃寺, Joruriji) stands in Tono, Nishi, Kamo-cho, Kizugawa City, Kyoto Prefecture; its late Heian main hall (Kutaiji main hall) and three-storied pagoda were both designated National Treasures in 1952.

According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, it is said to have been founded by Gyoki (668 to 749), fallen into ruin, and revived by the monk Gimyo in 1047.

Kizugawa City explains that the area near the Nara border in the south-east of the city was long called Odawara, where in the late Heian period many monks gathered and built hermitages in the valleys and ridges; Joruriji was the centre of its western part, known as Nishi Odawara.

The Main Hall and the Pagoda

According to the Agency, the main hall, moved to its present site on the west bank of the pond in 1157, is a late Heian building eleven bays long housing nine images of Amida in a single row; of the many nine-Amida halls built at the time, it is the only one that survives.

The pagoda was moved here in 1178 from Ichijo Omiya in Kyoto and is thought to date from the Heian period. Its three-stepped brackets carry deep eaves on each storey, giving it a graceful, light design.

A Pure Land Garden across the Pond

The Kizugawa City Tourism Association suggests first going towards the pagoda to pray to the Yakushi within, then turning to pray across the pond to the Amida of the main hall. The garden is a Historic Site and Special Place of Scenic Beauty.

The association notes that restoration of the nine seated Amida images was completed in December 2023, and all nine are together again.

Visiting Joruriji

The tourism association gives hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from March to November (main hall until 4:30 p.m.) and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. from December to February (main hall until 3:30 p.m.), with no closing days; admission is 500 yen for junior high students and above.

It is right by the Joruriji-mae stop on the Tono community bus line, with parking for 20 cars. Enquiries: Joruriji, 0774-76-2390.