Nigatsu-do Temple

Why Nigatsu-do Temple is special ?

Nigatsuo-do's history is as interesting as it is long. According to legend, the priest Jicchu saw the Buddhist deity Bosatsu practicing religious training in a waterfall's cave on a mountain in eastern Nara in approximately the year 750. Jicchu decided to build the original Nigatsu-do so that this training could be continued in the human world. Jicchu then performed a ceremony to which he invited 13,700 gods. One of the gods, named Onyu-myojin, was late to the ceremony. To apologize, he offered scented water from the Onyu River, and the water suddenly sprung up from where the god stood. This event marks the origin of Omizutori, the sacred "Water-Drawing" festival that has taken place annually since the year 752, and at Nigatsu-do since 772. As the climatic event of a two week festival of Shuni-e, Omizutori is when monks gather at the Wakasa Well, which is beneath Nigatsu-do. Despite it being a dry well, at 2:00am the monks are able to retrieve water from it by torchlight. Some of the water is distributed to the public, and it is said to have healing properties. In recent years, the Shini-e festival has taken place from March 1 to March 15.

Source: http://en.japantravel.com/

What to explore at Nigatsu-do Temple?

The temple complex of Nigatsu-do is located within the Todaiji temple area in Nara. Further up the hill from the main halls of Todaiji, it is often missed by visitors. The main hall of the temple is a UNESCO Heritage Site, located high on the hillside with great views over Nara. Inside are several Buddhist images and statues. The main such statues are two original images of the Kannon, one larger and one smaller. These however are considered "secret" items and are not displayed to the public, despite their central role in the annual Mizutori festival.

The festival honors the locally important Bodhisattva over a two week period; its origins are said to come from an event which was held here for 13,700 Buddhist gods. One of these gods, as an offering due to his late arrival, caused water from the nearby river to spring up at this hillside location. As part of the ceremonies, monks will bring up water-said to have special healing powers- from a nearby cave, which is distributed to the local people. This ceremony usually takes place over the first two weeks in March each year.

Source: http://www.tripsketch.com/

How to get to Nigatsu-do Temple?

About 10 minutes from JR Nara station, about 4 minutes from Kintetsu Nara station.

Get off at Daibutsuden-Kasugataisha-mae or Todaiji-Daibutsuden stop.

If you walk from Kintetsu Nara station, it takes about 20 minutes.

Source: http://www.travel-around-japan.com/