Buddhist templeOuda-yamaguchi · JP
Ganbyoheiyukiganjo Amanokaguyamatenyaku Temple
Tenyaku-ji (天益寺) sits on a small, bamboo-ringed hill called Kaguyama in the Hasama hollow of Ōuda, deep in the mountains of Nara's Uda City. Far from the famous Yamato Sanzan of the same name over in Kashihara, this is a quiet mountain temple: the former Buddhist chapel (jingū-ji) attached to Aki Shrine, the old "Moto-Ise" sanctuary, and a place long known among locals for its magnificent weeping cherry rather than for crowds of visitors. Founded traditionally in 1313, the temple blends shrine-and-Buddhism history, an Edo-period lord's prayer for his eyesight, and a story of loss and patient rebuilding after a devastating fire. Today it is a modest, atmospheric stop best reached as part of a wander around Ōuda's shrine, folk-museum and old kofun — a side of Nara that rewards travelers who like their heritage quiet, rural and real.