Muro-ji Temple is located halfway up Mount Muro in the city of Uda
near the boundary of
Nara and Mie Prefectures.
It is
known as “女人高野 Koya-san for Women.”
It was opened to both males and females, while Mount Koya was only to males.
Its
Five-story Pagoda (late 8th century) is the tiniest among the national treasures
standing outdoors in Japan
standing outdoors in Japan
and the second oldest next to that of Horyu-ji Temple.
It stands elegant and magnificent,
looks much taller when being looked up from the below.
looks much taller when being looked up from the below.
Rhododendrons display their colorful blooms about three weeks from mid-April.
Under the canopies of the flowers and green foliage,
At the peak of Rhododendron season, the temple precinct is awash
with glorious pink blooms. Under the canopies of the flowers and green foliage,
the stone steps lead you up to the inner sanctuary.
 |
| In light and shadow |
Many Stone
Buddhist images here and there are adorned with the flowers.
The stone steps connect about a dozen of buildings,
leading through a dense forest up to the inner sanctuary.
The old wooden temple structures blend in with the surrounding nature.
 |
| Kondo Hall |
 |
Cercis
chinensis
|
 |
| Miroku-do Hall |
Muro-ji Temple has drawn the devoted for a long, long time
in spite of its remote location with limited access.
in spite of its remote location with limited access.
Spring is so beautiful in the harmony of pink and green
but each and every season is also enchantingly fascinating
to take in natural beauty in the solemn atmosphere.
but each and every season is also enchantingly fascinating
to take in natural beauty in the solemn atmosphere.
 |
(All the photos were taken on May 3 last year.) Linked to Mosaic Monday Our World Tuesday |
A treasure, indeed....
ReplyDeleteAnd gorgeous pictures !
Have a shinny week !
Anna
To be in nature and to truly listen is a rare experience in modern life. In some ways, a forest is a temple. Yet the buildings and statues you’ve photographed that are so in harmony with the trees, flowers and shrubbery are a doorway to an even deeper experience. Thanks as always for sharing your world, stardust.
ReplyDeleteNature and spirituality have always been intimately interwoven. Here, people have given exactly this expression. It is not surprising that people are so attracted to it. A wonderful example in just such photos. Thanks for this post here.
ReplyDeleteA truly wonderful temple in wonderful surroundings, your story telling enhanced by the beautiful photographs took me there immediately and I didn't want to leave. Thank you for sharing the Muro-ji Temple with us today at Mosaic Monday.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful country you live in. Thank you for sharing als this beauty.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day.
Rosehugs Marijke
Oh, how beautiful there is! Have a nice day;-)
ReplyDeleteThe green leaves and the beautiful blooms are perfect in your photos! I so love to take my time reading your blog! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love Rhododendron blossom! I wish I could see that now!
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful temple surrounded by so many gorgeous rhododendron flowers! Your posts and photos are always filled with a certain warmth and charm that speaks highly of not only your photographic ability but of the wonderful area in which you live! And thank you for taking the time to stop by my Ocala blog and offer your generous comments!
ReplyDeleteA splendid little temple in a delightful setting. In this country rhododendrons have escaped from gardens and grow wild. They take over whole hillsides if left unchecked - very beautiful when in flower but not in harmony with anything.
ReplyDeleteYou are really an expert when holding your camera to capture the best shots with the perfect angles! I love all your photos and the way you "framed" the subjects with pretty flowers & branches at the sides. It is like an Ikebana Photography to me and that's very beautiful. I believe Spring is the best season to snap pretty photos in Japan.
ReplyDeleteDear Yoko - Muro-ji Temple looks a delightful little national treasure complete with its perfect surroundings of soft pink blossom and freshly emerging leaves in shades of chartreuse.
ReplyDeleteFrom the appearance of those steep stone steps it looks as if a pair of good strong legs are needed to negotiate all of those stairways, and what a lovely scene photo number five is.
Hello, Yoko.
ReplyDeleteYou know, what is incredible about the Temple? It stands amidst a dense forest and it looks totally natural, as natural as trees and grass. I had a similar feeling in Venice, on Grand Canal, where wonderful buildings rise from the water, as if they had always been there together with air and water.
Your last phrase sounds as if it was addressed to me. You know I think the same. Coincidentally, we published new posts on 23 April. Can you guess what inspired me?
All the best, Yoko, to you and your family.
Irina
It is nice to see the temple. It looks beautiful. Nice to know about them...
ReplyDeleteOnce again I enter your magical world!
ReplyDeleteHello Yoko....so much beauty! I love the pink and green....a stunning combination.
ReplyDeleteLovely photos...thank you.
Best wishes
Ruby
Such a beautiful place! I can feel the peace of it just looking at the photos.
ReplyDeleteThe Muro-ji Temple looks beautiful and elegant, especially in your first photograph taken from below. What a great angle. Pink blossoms in spring are the loveliest things - our city is awash with them these days, too. I never tire of the cherry blossoms and pink rhododendrons. Thank you for sharing this lovely temple in the forest with us.
ReplyDeleteFrom the first picture, I felt serenity wash over me. How else can you feel when experiencing such beauty? Clearly, someone took their time many years ago to plan the building placement and the gardens very carefully, and the hard work paid off in the perfect harmony of the stone steps, wooden buildings and the plants! Thanks for sharing this piece of heaven with us!
ReplyDeleteこんばんは。素敵な写真ですね。石楠花はまだ咲いていますか、２８日にツアーで行く予定です。花は待って居て呉れないですね。
ReplyDeleteHello, Dear Yoko!
ReplyDeleteA wonderful temple, wonderful photos and beautiful pink azaleas.
Yoko, thank you very much for admiring your wonderful country.
Blessed days.
Hugs and kisses.
Lucja
Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos.
ReplyDeleteMany greetings
Maria de
Divagar Sobre Tudo um Pouco
This looks like a wonderful place to wander, relax, take photos and feel peace and joy.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your time there. The flowers are so lovely.
what beautiful and stunning temple surrounded by glorious nature!!!
ReplyDeletehow magnificently captured by you my friend!
i hold my breath to each image !
thank you for sharing the beauty of you part of land
I would love to see this beautiful temple for myself. Your photographs are lovely. I have always liked rhododendrons, the colour and the shape of the blossoms.
ReplyDeleteGOODNESS!! what gorgeous photographs!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful place to visit, and in rhododendron season! So beautiful. I may be wrong, but I thought felt some similarities between this ancient place and the places of the Mayans in Mexican jungles, perhaps my imagination!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
Kay
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
Those pictures are absolutely amazing. I love how the architecture fits with the natural beauty of the land.
ReplyDeleteMagnifico!
ReplyDeletejanicce.
The softness of the blooms contrasts beautifully with the stone. I feel a quieting of my spirit as I look at your photos. This is a beautiful temple immersed in Nature.
ReplyDelete山奥にひっそりと佇んでいる。 という雰囲気です。
ReplyDeleteまだ、こちらに伺ったことはありません。
いつかは・・・、と思う所ばかりですが、こうして見られるので幸せです。
ありがとうございました。
Undoubtedly you have captured marvelously the harmony that gives title to this post. Your images give very good testimony of the connection between the buildings, stone steps... and the nature in which this ones insert. Undoubtedly you have got that every detail, setting... speaks to us in an excellent way about this great agreement.
ReplyDeleteDear Yoko, I appreciate so much your wonderful comments! They always are positive and make me feel good. Re the bike: It is my bike. I wanted to set it up to see if anyone would come to that conclusion. I'm rather sneaky! :)
ReplyDelete昨年行かれたのですね。一度は行ったみたいと思いながら、山深くそして階段も沢山ありそうでためらいながら、月日が経ってしまいます。春にはこんなに色とりどりの花に囲まれることは始めて知りました。
ReplyDeleteポストされた写真は、外国の方々にとっては、きっと印象深く素晴らしいものだろうと思います。
又ね！
So many beautiful pink flowers around elegant buildings! To me pagodas have always looked really exotic. There was a fashion for them in the 18th century as ornamental buildings in certain rich peoples' gardens.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if the pink rhododendrons are wild or cultivated? Here, the colour of wild rhododendron is purple. Because rhododendron is an introduced species, it can be invasive if left unchecked, so the plants are often cleared from woodland. Sometimes, though, a decision is made to leave them to flourish, and that always makes me happy. I used to live near a place called "Rhododendron Mile" where nearly a mile of these beautiful plants lined a country road, and they grew to a towering height.
I think this is one of the most significant information for me.
ReplyDeleteAnd i’m glad reading your article.
But should remark on some general things, the web site style is perfect,
the articles is really great : D. Good job…
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