S P O T ／ SPOT-188
Kaijusen-ji Temple and the Kuni-kyo Palace Site
海住山寺・恭仁京跡かいじゅうせんじ・くにきょうあと
A paired itinerary combining the Kuni-no-miya palace site (Special Historic Site) — a temporary capital established by Emperor Shomu between 740 and 744 CE — with the nearby Kaijusen-ji Temple, a medieval foundation possessing a National Treasure five-storey pagoda on the eastern hillside. The Kuni-no-miya was one of several temporary capitals during Emperor Shomu's reign; today only the foundation stones of the great audience hall (daigokuden) site survive. At Kaijusen-ji, the monk Jokei (Gedatsu Shonin) re-established the temple in the second year of Jogen (1208), and the five-storey pagoda — built in the second year of Kenpo (1214) and standing 17.7 metres with a skirt-eave (mokoshi) — is the second-smallest in Japan after Muro-ji's. The temple treasury holds numerous Important Cultural Properties, including the principal image, an eleven-faced Kannon (Heian period), and a set of Four Heavenly Kings (Kamakura period).
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01The Kaijusen-ji National Treasure five-storey pagoda (Kamakura period, Kenpo 2/1214, 17.7 m, with skirt-eave) — the second-smallest five-storey pagoda in Japan, after Muro-ji's
- 02The Kuni-no-miya palace site (Special Historic Site): the ephemeral capital of Emperor Shomu (740–744 CE), now represented by the remaining foundation stones of the daigokuden hall
- 03Jokei (Gedatsu Shonin) re-established Kaijusen-ji in 1208 after relocating from Kasagi-dera, spending his final five years here
- 04Important Cultural Properties at Kaijusen-ji: the principal wooden eleven-faced Kannon (Heian period), a set of wooden Four Heavenly Kings (Kamakura period), and numerous others
- 05The Kuni-no-miya daigokuden foundation stones and the adjacent pagoda ruins foundation stones of Yamashiro Kokubunji stand in close proximity
A C C E S S ／ M E T A
Essentials
- Location
- Kyoto Prefecture Kizugawa City
- Address
- 京都府木津川市加茂町例幣海住山境外20（海住山寺）／京都府木津川市加茂町例幣（恭仁宮跡）
- Fee
- 海住山寺：本堂内拝観500円（入山料含む）・散策のみ入山料200円 恭仁宮跡：無料
- Hours
- 海住山寺：9:00〜16:30 恭仁宮跡：常時開放
- Status
- 現存（海住山寺拝観可・恭仁宮跡常時公開）
- Official
- http://www.kaijyusenji.jp
D E E P D I V E
Deep Dive
Religion
Religion
Kaijusenji belongs to the Chisan branch of Shingon Buddhism (formerly affiliated with Kofuku-ji, Hosso school, until the Meiji era). The principal icon is an 11-faced Kannon (Juichimen Kannon) of the 10th century, designated an Important Cultural Property. The Kuni Palace site itself is a secular Nara-period imperial ruin, though the subsequent Yamashiro Kokubunji (provincial temple) established there reflects Emperor Shomu's nationwide Buddhist patronage policy.
Architecture
Architecture
Five-storied pagoda (National Treasure, 1214 CE): 17.7m tall, the second-smallest surviving wooden pagoda in Japan after Muro-ji's. Its distinctive feature is the mokoshi (skirt roof) added beneath the first-floor eave — unique among extant Heian–Kamakura period five-story pagodas; the only comparable example (Horyuji) dates to the Asuka period. The pagoda has no heart pillar in the ground story, instead rising from above the first-floor ceiling. Kuni Palace ruins: foundation stones of the Daigokuden (Great Audience Hall) survive, flanked by the equally ancient foundations of the Yamashiro Kokubunji pagoda.
Cultural Property
Cultural Property
Kaijusenji: One National Treasure (five-storied pagoda); multiple Important Cultural Properties including Monju-do hall, the Juichimen Kannon principal icon, Four Heavenly Kings statues, and 24 temple documents. Kuni Palace site: designated a Special National Historic Site by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.