Shinyakushi Temple

Shin-Yakushi-ji Temple was founded in March 747 (the 19th year of Tenpyō) by Empress Kōmyō to pray for Emperor Shōmu’s recovery from illness. Emperor Shōmu had begun work on creating the Vairocana Buddha (Rushana Butsu), but construction was interrupted due to wildfires, earthquakes, and his worsening health. Shin-Yakushi-ji was established in that context, and the Great Buddha was later completed, with the eye-opening ceremony held in 752. The principal image, a seated Yakushi Nyorai (Medicine Buddha) statue designated as a National Treasure, dates from the Nara period to the early Heian period. The right hand forms a gesture that dispels fear, and the left hand holds a medicine jar. Because the Buddha’s eyes are large and beautiful, many visitors with eye ailments come to worship. Flanking the Yakushi Nyorai are the Nikko and Gakkō Bodhisattvas, and surrounding them are the Twelve Divine Generals (National Treasure), all enshrined in the main hall (National Treasure), which preserves Nara-period architectural features. The main hall originally served another purpose, but after other buildings collapsed in a storm, it was repurposed as the main hall.