Ōno-ji


Ōno-ji or Ōno-dera is a temple of the Shingon school of Buddhism, located in the city of Uda, Nara Prefecture, Japan.
According to legend and myth, the temple was first opened by En no Gyōja in 681, rendered west entrance to Murō-ji by Kūkai in 824, then later became known with its current name.

Overview

Ōno-ji is best known for its 11.5 meter tall stone sculpture of bodhisattva Maitreya, carved across the Uda River, to the north of the temple. The sculpture was ordered by abdicated Emperor Go-Toba, in response to monk Gaen of Kōfuku-ji. A mason from Song is believed to have done the sculpture between 1207 and 1209. Other treasures held by the temple include the wooden Jizō bodhisattva image.