Honen-ji Temple (Kashihara City) (法然寺 (橿原市))
Shorin-in Honen-ji Temple is a Buddhist temple of the Jodo (Pure Land) Sect located at the foot of Mt. Kagu, one of the three mountains of Yamato. There is a Goeika (Buddhist hymn) composed by the priest Honen at the tenth of twenty-five sacred sites which reads "If you leave for the Pure Land as early as possible, you will be able to reach there by the time you die."
History
In March 1205 on his way home from a pilgrimage to Mt. Koya, Priest Honen stayed one night in a hermitage on the way to Tachibana-dera Temple, the birthplace of Prince Shotoku. The owner of the hermitage came to believe in Honen, became an ascetic, and gave Honen title of founder of the temple.
In October 1499, 保誉, the priest of Chion-in Temple had a spiritual dream in which he received a poem from Honen saying 'Although the temple at the foot of Mt. Kagu is narrow, extend it by preaching highly-principled sermons.'
Temple treasures
The statue of Amitabha made by a sculptor of Buddhist Statues named Tori, is known familiarly as Ukiashi no Nyorai (The Perfected One on Tiptoes). It used to be a nenjibutsu (a small statue of Buddha always kept close at hand) owned by Shunjobo Chogen.
The statue of Priest Honen
Access
Take Kintetsu Osaka line to Miminashi Station, then walk about 2 kilometres southwards.