Futaiji Temple

Futaiji Temple

Futaiji Temple (不退寺) in Horencho, Nara City, Nara Prefecture, has an early Muromachi main hall and a south gate of 1317 designated as an Important Cultural Property in 1904, and a late Kamakura pagoda designated in 1908 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). These are the dates of designation under the former law.

According to the Japan Tourism Agency, Futaiji is said to have been founded in 847 by the early Heian poet and courtier Ariwara no Narihira; the land had belonged to Emperor Heizei and passed to Prince Abo and then to Narihira. The temple is known for its grounds planted with some 500 kinds of flowers and trees.

The Three Structures

The main hall is five bays by four with a hipped roof of full tiles, and houses statues including a wooden Kannon said to have been carved by Narihira himself (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Japan Tourism Agency).

The pagoda was originally the lower storey of a two-storey tahoto and survives three bays square under a pyramidal roof of pantiles, designated with seven pieces of old timber (Agency for Cultural Affairs). The south gate is a four-legged gate with a gabled roof of full tiles, designated with an old gable ornament. Each structure is described on its own page.

Visiting

No official information on visiting hours or fees was found.