Asuka Temple

Asuka-dera Temple is Japan’s first full-scale Buddhist temple, located in Asuka Village, Takaichi District, Nara Prefecture. It was founded in 596 at the vow of Soga no Umako. Its principal image is the seated Shaka Nyorai statue known as the "Asuka Great Buddha" (Important Cultural Property), regarded as Japan’s oldest Buddhist statue. After repeated fires, the original temple buildings were lost, and today only foundation stones from structures such as the pagoda and the main hall remain. In its heyday, the area around Asuka-dera flourished for about 100 years as Japan’s first capital, with the temple at its center and cultural activities such as scholarship and the arts, alongside imperial residences and palaces of princes and nobles. To reach Asuka-dera, take the Asuka Loop Bus from the East Exit of Kintetsu Kashihara-Jingu-mae Station (about 15 minutes) and get off at "Asuka Daibutsu-mae," then walk about 1 minute. The Asuka Great Buddha, which has been enshrined for some 1,400 years, and the graceful Prince Shōtoku statue are especially impressive. Also noteworthy are three stone Buddhas enshrined at Manyō Pond—Dai-shō Fudō Myō-ō, Kannon Bosatsu, and Kōbō Daishi—where pouring water while praying is said to bring blessings for good relationships, business prosperity, and academic success, making it a well-known power spot for financial luck and studies.