Yakushiji, “the Temple of the Physician”, was one of the “Seven Great Buddhist Temples of Nara”, and was originally situated about 20 km south of Nara city in Fujiwara-Kyo, present day Kashihara city. The construction of the temple was commissioned by Emperor Temmu in 680 in order to offer prayers for the recovery of his wife from a serious illness. However, in a somewhat poignant twist of fate, Emperor Temmu died before the temple was completed and was in fact survived by his wife, who then to acceded to the throne as Empress Jito. The Empress, now fully recovered, subsequently oversaw the completion of the construction in 698. In 718, Yakushiji was moved (either physically, or possibly in name only) to its present site shortly after the capital was re-established in Heijo-Kyo, Nara city.
Yakushiji Temple consists of several buildings, including Kondo, or Main Hall, Daikodo, the Lecture Hall, Toindo, the Zen Hall, and the Western and Eastern Pagodas. Sadly, most of the 8th century buildings have been destroyed over the years by the ravages of civil war and natural disasters, and today only the Eastern Pagoda remains original, having been deconstructed for repairs and then reassembled.
The present day buildings have been reconstructed using donations received from many people across Japan. In 1967, the priest Takada Koin initiated the reconstruction of the temple. To raise funds for the project, the priest invited people to make donations and participate in the copying of a Buddhist sutra called “Han’nya Shingyo”, the Heart Sutra. Sometimes referred to as the Heart of the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, this sutra contains the core essence of Buddhist teachings, and its recital is said to free one from suffering and instil understanding. The original sanskrit version was translated by the famous 7th century Chinese priest, Genzo Sanzo, whose ashes are enshrined here in a complex dedicated to him in 1991.
As of today, seven million people have taken part in this campaign, and as a result the reconstruction of the Main Hall, the Western Pagoda, the Central Gate and the Lecture Hall, along with several corridors, has been completed.
The Main Hall, rebuilt in 1976, enshrines the Yakushi Triad, which dates back to the 7th century and consists of Yakushi-nyorai or the Healing Buddha, and Nikko Bosatsu and Gakko Bosatsu, the Bodhisattvas of sunlight and moonlight respectively.
Yakushiji Temple is the headquarters of the Buddhist Hosso sect, and is one of the eight properties of the collective World Heritage site “Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara” designated in 1998.
Photo credits:
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