S P O T ／ SPOT-186
Ono-ji Temple and the Maitreya Cliff Carving
大野寺・弥勒磨崖仏おおのでら・みろくまがいぶつ
On the rock face of the opposite bank of the Uda River stands a Maitreya cliff carving (National Historic Site) 11.5 metres in height. The image was commissioned by the Kofuku-ji monk Gaen in the first year of Jogen (1207), executed by the workshop of Yi Xinmo (Igyomatsu), a stone-carver from the Song dynasty who had come to Japan, and formally consecrated in the third year of Jogen (1209) in the presence of the Retired Emperor Go-Toba. Technique: a mandorla-shaped recess was carved into the rock face, within which the standing Maitreya figure is rendered in incised relief. The temple grounds are also celebrated as a site of weeping cherry trees (the 'Ko-ito Shidare-zakura,' approximately 300 years old) and house a standing wooden image of Jizo Bosatsu (Important Cultural Property) — associated with a legend in which the deity served as a substitute to save an innocent girl.
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01A National Historic Site: an 11.5-metre standing Maitreya rendered in incised relief within a mandorla-shaped recess cut into the river-facing cliff face
- 02Commissioned in 1207 and formally consecrated in 1209 in the presence of Retired Emperor Go-Toba
- 03Executed by Yi Xinmo (Igyomatsu) and his workshop — a Song-dynasty stone-carver who had come to Japan
- 04Famous for weeping cherry trees (Ko-ito Shidare-zakura, approximately 300 years old)
- 05A standing wooden Jizo Bosatsu (Important Cultural Property), associated with the legend of the 'substitute Jizo' who saved an innocent girl
A C C E S S ／ M E T A
Essentials
- Location
- Nara Prefecture Uda City
- Address
- 奈良県宇陀市室生大野1680
- Fee
- 境内無料（磨崖仏見学無料）
- Hours
- 常時開放（寺院本堂拝観は要確認）
- Status
- 現存（史跡指定・常時見学可）
D E E P D I V E
Deep Dive
Religion
Religion
The temple belongs to the Muro-ji branch of Shingon Buddhism. Its principal icon is a secret Maitreya statue kept in the main hall. The rock-cut Maitreya image, carved into the cliff face across the Uda River and visible only from the temple forecourt, represents an unusual 'remote worship' configuration. The site blends Maitreya devotion with Shugendo associations (the En-no-Gyoja founding legend).
Architecture
Architecture
The relief: a 30-meter-tall cliff face was dressed into a 13.8-meter halo-shaped recess, then smoothed to receive a 11.5-meter incised standing Maitreya figure. A circular mandala (Sonshō Mandala in Sanskrit seed-syllables) is carved lower-left. Conservation works from 1993–1999 removed biological growth and redirected groundwater seepage. All surviving temple buildings post-date the 1900 fire. A 300-year-old cascading cherry (Koito-shidare-zakura) blooms in the precinct.
Cultural Property
Cultural Property
The Ono-dera stone Buddha (Maitreya relief) is designated a National Historic Site (November 1934). The wooden Jizo Bosatsu standing figure is a National Important Cultural Property (Kamakura period, joined woodblock construction). The viewpoint of the relief across the Uda River is registered as a Nara Prefecture Scenic Landscape Asset.