is a Buddhist temple that, from the legend, was founded in 805 by the monk Saichō, in Kita Sakasegawa, Hyōgo-ku, Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Saichō (of the Tendai sect) placed a statue of Yakushi Nyorai of his own making in the temple hall and named the temple .

This temple served as a branch temple of Kyoto's Shōren-in from the early Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period.

Nōfuku-ji

The (a Buddhist pilgrimage route in Japan) includes this temple as one of the stops.

Nōfuku-ji

Main building

Any remains of Nōfuku-ji were vanished, and now replaced by main hall, which was built in 1953. It was damaged during the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995, and reconstructed in 1997.

Nōfuku-ji

Hyōgo Daibutsu

was a statue of Buddha in Hyōgo Prefecture which originally was built in 1891 on donation of a wealthy merchant, and was 3rd biggest Buddha statue in Japan. A photo of it is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Melted down in 1944 for the Metals recovery ordinance and was replaced in 1991 by new statue. Current statue have size of 11 meters (18 meters with pedestal), 60 tons weight. The eye-opening ceremony () was held in May, 1991.

See also

Thirteen Buddhist Sites of Kobe

Buddhist temples in Japan

Glossary of Japanese Buddhism

Tourism in Japan

References

External links

Page at Official Kobe Tourism Site

9th-century establishments in Japan

Religious organizations established in the 9th century

Tendai temples

Buddhist temples in Hyōgo Prefecture

Colossal Buddha statues in Japan

Religious buildings and structures completed in 805