[For Seniors] Introduction to Trivia Quiz and Fun Facts about Ninna-ji Temple

Amitabha Triad Statue

At the time of its founding, the statues of Brahmā and the Four Heavenly Kings were arranged around the principal image of the three Amidas enshrined in the Golden Hall.

Shingon-shu Omuro-ha (Omuro branch of the Shingon sect)

Entering the Showa era, Ninna-ji became the head temple of the Omuro school of Shingon Buddhism, and in recent years, in 1994 (Heisei 6), it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.

Essays in Idleness

Tsurezuregusa is an essay collection from the late Kamakura period, authored by the monk Kenkō. In section 52 of Tsurezuregusa, there is a story about a monk from Ninnaji who visited the Iwashimizu Hachimangū Shrine.

Fujiwara no Teika

The poet Fujiwara no Teika, who had close ties to Ninnaji, left delicate and beautiful waka poems depicting the temple, such as in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu.

Niōmon (Deva Kings Gate)

At the Nio-mon gate, statues of the paired guardian deities Agyo and Ungyo are enshrined on the left and right of the front, and Karajishi (Chinese guardian lions) are placed at the back. It is one of Kyoto’s three great gates, along with the Sanmon of Chion-in and the Sanmon of Nanzen-ji.

1994

Ninna-ji is a prestigious temple where members of the imperial family traditionally served as head priests, and it is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.

sutra repository

The Octagonal Hall, a designated Important Cultural Property located within the precincts of Ninna-ji Temple, is a sutra repository that houses the Threefold Lotus Sutra. Its interior is octagonal, with an octagonal reliquary enshrined at the center.