Tenpyo-no-Oka Park in Shimono City is an ancient historical park containing Shimotsuke Kokubunji and Kokubun Niji temple ruins. This area, a center of Tenpyo culture in the Nara period, was adjacent to the Shimotsuke provincial capital. Foundation stones remain at the Kokubunji ruins, evoking the once-grand temple layout. Designated a national historic site together with the Kokubun Niji ruins, te…

In 741 CE (the 13th year of the Tenpyo era), Emperor Shomu issued an imperial edict ordering the construction of Kokubunji and Kokubun Niji temples throughout Japan, leading to the establishment of these temples in Shimotsuke Province. The Shimotsuke Kokubunji is said to have boasted a magnificent t…