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栃木県
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Rinnoji Temple
栃木県
The spiritual heart of Nikko for 1,250 years — three 8-meter golden Buddhas gleaming inside the great Sanbutsudo
Founded
766
Type
Temple
Visited
Want to go
Access
10 min by bus from JR Nikko / Tobu-Nikko Station
2300 Sannai, Nikko, Tochigi
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Info
Temple
Founded 766
1260 years
Enshrined Deity
千手観音
→
阿弥陀如来
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馬頭観音
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Buddhist Sect
Tendai
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Overview
A renowned Tendai temple with over 1,250 years of history as the central temple of Mount Nikko. One of the World Heritage 'Shrines and Temples of Nikko,' forming the Nikko complex with Toshogu and Futarasan Shrine. Sanbutsudo is the largest wooden structure on Mount Nikko, housing three giant Buddhist statues: Senju Kannon, Amida Nyorai, and Bato Kannon. The three gilded statues in Sanbutsudo are …
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Origins
Founded in 766 by the monk Shodo Shonin as the central temple of Mount Nikko. Shodo Shonin began by building Shihon-ryuji, establishing the foundation of Buddhist faith on Mount Nikko. In the Heian period, it developed as a Tendai stronghold, with Ennin (Jikaku Daishi) visiting to promote scholarshi…
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Divine Benefits
Purification
Rebirth in Pure Land
Cleansing impurity, spiritual purification, driving away evil. Rooted in misogi ablutions and goma fire rites.
Derived from the enshrined deity "千手観音・阿弥陀如来・馬頭観音"

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