Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple

This Jodo sect temple is located midway on the road from the center of Arashiyama to Kiyotaki. It originated when Kobo Daishi (Kukai) collected and buried the bodies that were exposed to the elements in Adashino, once known for its wind burial practices, and built the Gochi-san Nyorai-ji Temple for their memorial services. Later, it became known as Nenbutsu-ji Temple when the monk Honen opened a Nenbutsu (Buddhist chanting) dojo here.

The approximately 8,000 stone Buddhas and pagodas, huddled together in the "Sai-no-Kawara" within the precincts, are the graves of people once buried throughout the Adashino area. Unclaimed for hundreds of years, these were unearthed and gathered in the middle of the Meiji period and arranged as if they were listening to a sermon. Every August, the temple holds a "Thousand lights memorial service", where countless candles are lit to memorialize these unclaimed Buddhas, creating a fantastically ethereal scene in the late summer.

With the changing seasons, such as the blooming of cherry blossoms in spring and the autumn leaves, the scenery of the precincts also changes. The bamboo grove leading to the cemetery at the back of the precincts has a quaint charm and has become a quietly popular spot.