Akishino Temple

Unaffiliated 8th-century Buddhist temple in Nara with Kamakura-era National Treasure main hall.

Akishino-dera is an 8th-century Buddhist temple on the western outskirts of Nara, notable for belonging to no established Buddhist sect — unusual in Japan's rigidly organized temple landscape. Founded in 776, its current main hall (Hondō) is a designated National Treasure from the Kamakura period. The temple is especially known for its sculpture of Gigei-ten, the Buddhist deity of the arts — one of the rarest depictions of this figure in Japan. Off the main tourist circuit, it occupies a tranquil garden setting.