Adashino Nembutsuji, Kyoto
 Bamboo path (photo by solution 63) and field of stone Buddhas (photo by Roger Persad) at Adashino Nembutsuji. |
Situated high on a hill overlooking Kyoto from the northwest, the unusual temple of Adashino Nembutsuji stands on the site of an old graveyard where the poor of this area once abandoned the bodies of the dead, exposing them to the wind and rain.
Near the temple is a picturesque bamboo path that envelopes you in green. The main hall of Adashino Nembutsuji, built in 1712, contains a statue of Amida Buddha carved by Tankei, a sculptor famous in the Kamakura Era (1185-1333).
But the most intriguing aspect of Adashino is the vast cemetery outside, where about 8,000 stone Buddhas are packed together like a silent congregation. The statues honor the poor people of the Adashino area whose bodies were abandoned to the elements from the Heian to the Edo periods. The scene is especially stirking in late afternoon, when the shadows beneath the effigies lengthen.
On August 23 and 24, at a Buddhist ceremony called Sento-kuyo, more than 1,000 candles are lit for the repose of the spirits of ancestors.
Quick Facts
| Names: | Adashino Nembutsu-ji; Adashino Nembutsuji |
| Location: | Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan |
| Address: | 17 Adashino-cho, Toriimoto, Kyoto, Japan |
| Phone: | 075/861-2221 |
| Hours: | Mar-Nov: daily 9-4:30; Dec-Feb: daily 9-4 |
| Festivals: | August 23-24 |
| Best time: | Late afternoon |
| Cost: | ¥500 |
| Bus: | #72 at the Toriimoto stop |
