S P O T ／ SPOT-190
Jinko-ji Temple (Shugendo Mountain Temple)
神童寺しんどうじ
An ancient temple of the mountain-ascetic (Shugendo) tradition with close ties to Yoshino. The main hall (Important Cultural Property, rebuilt in 1406) houses a collection of Important Cultural Property Buddhist images. The principal image, a Zaodo Gongen, is said to have been carved by En-no-Gyoja with the assistance of a divine child (shindo), from which the temple's name derives. Most notable among the sculptural holdings is a standing wooden Fudo Myo-o (Important Cultural Property, Heian period) — known as the 'Wave-cutting White Fudo' — unique in Japan as a white-coloured Fudo image. Also held is a seated wooden Aizen Myo-o (Important Cultural Property, Heian period) in the 'Heavenly-bow' form, one of only four images in Japan depicted with a bow aimed skyward. The temple, known as 'Kita-Yoshino-yama' (Northern Yoshino Mountain), maintains deep sacred ties to Kinpusen in Yamato Province and served as a place of imperial petition by the Arisugawa-no-miya house.
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01Main hall (Zaodo-do): rebuilt in the thirteenth year of Oei (1406) — a National Important Cultural Property
- 02Standing wooden Fudo Myo-o (Important Cultural Property, Heian period) — known as the 'Wave-cutting White Fudo': unique in Japan as a white-coloured Fudo image
- 03Seated wooden Aizen Myo-o (Important Cultural Property, Heian period) in the 'heavenly-bow' form — one of only four such images in Japan depicted with a bow aimed skyward
- 04A sacred site of Shugendo mountain practice, with deep ties to Kinpusen in Yamato-no-kuni (Yoshino): known as 'Northern Yoshino Mountain'
- 05Designated a place of prayer by the Arisugawa-no-miya imperial house, which donated a curtain bearing the chrysanthemum imperial crest
A C C E S S ／ M E T A
Essentials
- Location
- Kyoto Prefecture Kizugawa City
- Address
- 京都府木津川市山城町神童子不晴谷112
- Fee
- 境内自由（収蔵庫拝観は事前確認要）
- Hours
- 日中拝観（詳細は要確認）
- Status
- 現存（拝観可）
D E E P D I V E
Deep Dive
Religion
Religion
The temple belongs to the Chisan branch of Shingon Buddhism. The main icon is Zaō Gongen, the principal deity of Shugendo — a syncretic figure combining Shakyamuni (past), Senju Kannon (present), and Maitreya (future). The temple's mountain name 'Kitagino-zan' (Northern Yoshino Mountain) reflects its deep ties to the Shugendo tradition of Mt. Kinpusen (Yoshino).
Architecture
Architecture
Main Hall (Zaō-dō): rebuilt in 1406 by Kofuku-ji administrator Kainojo, designated a National Important Cultural Property (with attached ridge plaques and architectural remnants). Goma-dō (fire ritual hall) and Omon (main gate) are designated Kizugawa City Tangible Cultural Properties (Edo period). The precinct also contains 13-storied and 5-storied stone pagodas, a Jizo hall, a bell tower, and a dedicated storage hall for the statues.
Cultural Property
Cultural Property
National Important Cultural Properties: the main hall (1406); the Seated Aizen Myo-o (Tenyu Aizen, Heian period — one of only four surviving images of this form in Japan, the only white one); the Standing Fudo Myo-o (Namikirihaku Fudo, Heian period — the only surviving white Fudo Myo-o among the four known in Japan); plus Amida Nyorai, Bishamonten, Nikko and Gakko Bosatsu statues and a Gigaku mask (1196). The Goma-do and main gate are designated city-level cultural properties.