# Enjo-ji

> A temple in Ninnikusen, in the hills east of Nara city on the old Yagyu road, with a late Heian pond garden and a seated Dainichi Nyorai that Unkei signed in 1176, probably in his twenties. It is his earliest known signed work and a National Treasure. Getting there means a Nara Kotsu bus that runs only about seven times a day.

- Prefecture: Nara
- Type: Temple
- Address: Nara, Japan
- Admission: 500 yen
- Official site: https://www.enjyouji.jp/

The bus drops you at Ninnikusen, half an hour east of Nara Station, and the temple is right there by the road. Enjo-ji is easy to miss on a Nara itinerary, and I think that is most of its appeal.

The reason to come is a seated Dainichi Nyorai just under a metre tall, the earliest work known to carry Unkei's own signature. An ink inscription inside the pedestal says he started it on the 24th day of the 11th month of 1175 and delivered it in the 10th month of 1176, signing as a pupil of his father Kokei. He was probably in his twenties, and it was decades before the guardian kings at Todai-ji's Nandaimon. It is a National Treasure. The statue used to sit inside the Tahoto pagoda behind glass; since December 2017 it has had its own small hall, the Sooden, where you can stand close and look at it from three sides. The face is young and a little stern, and the crystal eyes catch the light. A modern copy now sits in the pagoda.

Give the rest of the grounds an hour. In front of the two-storey gate is a Pure Land pond garden from the late Heian period, designated a Place of Scenic Beauty, and the maples around it turn in November. Up the slope, the Kasuga-do and Hakusan-do are two small shrine buildings that came from Kasuga Taisha in 1228. They are the oldest surviving buildings in the kasuga-zukuri style and National Treasures as well. The main hall was rebuilt after the fires of the Onin War in 1466 and enshrines a Heian-period Amida.

Entry is 500 yen and photography inside the halls is not allowed. The real catch is the bus. Nara Kotsu runs about seven a day from Kintetsu Nara, with gaps of more than three hours in places, so note the time of the bus back before you start looking around. A taxi from Nara Station takes about 20 minutes. Paired with Yagyu further along the same road, it makes a good half day away from the deer.

## FAQ

### Can I see Unkei's Dainichi Nyorai on any day?

Yes. It is not a hidden buddha. Since December 2017 it has been in the Sooden hall, where you can see it up close from three sides during normal opening hours, 9:00 to 17:00. It is included in the 500 yen entry.

### How often does the bus run from Nara?

Not often: about seven buses a day from Kintetsu Nara, with gaps of more than three hours at some times of day. The ride is about 27 minutes. Check the return time before you get off; if you miss it, a taxi back to Nara Station takes about 20 minutes.

### When is the garden at its best?

November, when the maples around the pond turn. The temple grounds also have cherry blossoms in spring and fresh green in summer, and with so few visitors it is pleasant in any season.

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Source: Enjo-ji — Japan Voyage