Murouji Temple

Murō-ji Temple is a head temple of the Murō-ji branch of Shingon Buddhism, located in Uda City, Nara Prefecture. While Mount Kōya, the center of Shingon Buddhism, was once closed to women, Murō-ji allowed female worshippers, earning it the nickname "Nyonin Kōya" (Mount Kōya for Women). Tradition says it was founded in the Nara period by En no Gyōja, the founder of Shugendō, in response to an imperial prayer by Emperor Tenmu. Throughout the Heian period, Murō-ji functioned largely as a sub-temple of Kōfuku-ji and served as a place for mountain ascetic practice as well as a scholarly training center for various Buddhist schools. In the Edo period, it separated from Kōfuku-ji’s control and became a Shingon temple, and the name "Nyonin Kōya" came into use. Highlights of Murō-ji include the Golden Hall (Kondō), Miroku Hall, the Main Hall (Kanjōdō), and the five-story pagoda, all laid out on Mount Murō in a way that blends the natural mountain landscape with the temple complex. The oldest structure is the five-story pagoda, built in the late Nara period, and it is the smallest outdoor wooden five-story pagoda in Japan. Murō-ji is also known as a temple of flowers, and many visitors come especially in mid-April during the rhododendron season.