Enjō-ji

Enjō-ji is said to have been founded in 756 by a Chinese priest who accompanied Ganjin to Japan. The temple was enlarged in the late-Heian and Muromachi periods. Much damage occurred during the Ōnin War and further losses occurred during the Meiji period and after.[1][2]

The two-storey gate of 1468 and Hondō of 1472 are both Important Cultural Properties.[3][4] The tahōtō is lost and has been replaced with a modern replica.[5]

Also on the grounds are a number of Shinto shrines. The single bay Kasugadō and Hakusandō of 1227/8 are the oldest extant examples of kasuga-zukuri and are thought to have been moved from Kasuga-taisha when it was rebuilt.[6] In 1953 both buildings were designated National Treasures.[7][8] The Honden of the shrine to Ugajin dating to the end of the Kamakura period is an Important Cultural Property.[9]

In the tahōtō is a seated wooden statue of Dainichi Nyorai (木造大日如来坐像) of 1176 by Unkei. Of Japanese cypress using the yoseki-zukuri technique, it is gilded over lacquer and has crystal eyes. In 1920, it was designated a National Treasure.[10] In the Hondō is a seated wooden statue of Amida Nyorai (木造阿弥陀如来坐像) of the Heian period, surrounded by wooden statues of the Shitennō (木造四天王立像) of the Kamakura period, all Important Cultural Properties.[11][12] Other images include a Jūichimen Kannon of 1026, a child prince of 1309 that has been designated a Prefectural Cultural Property, a Fudō Myōō of the Nanboku-chō period, and a gilded Yakushi Nyorai.[2] The gorintō of 1321 has also been designated an Important Cultural Property.[13]

The temple gardens are a rare example of late-Heian Pure Land paradise gardens and in 1973 were designated a Place of Scenic Beauty.[5][14]

• List of National Treasures of Japan (shrines)
• List of National Treasures of Japan (sculptures)
• Thirteen Buddhist Sites of Yamato
• Japanese gardens
• Place of Scenic Beauty
• Honji suijaku

(in Japanese) Enjōji

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