Chugu-ji Temple

Home to Japan’s Most Graceful

Miroku Buddha

Located just east of Horyu-ji in the historic town of Ikaruga, Chugu-ji is a serene monastic temple with origins dating back to the late 6th century (593). Traditionally attributed to Prince Shotoku, it was founded as a palace residence for his mother, Empress Anahobe no Hashihito, before being converted into a nunnery centuries later. Today, the temple stands as a rare window into Japan’s earliest Buddhist culture and the refined court life of the Asuka period.

What makes Chugu-ji especially renowned is its treasured Miroku Bosatsu (Miroku Buddha) statue, a National Treasure from the 7th century. Carved from a single block of wood and depicted with the gentle “half-smile” pose known as hanka-shiyui, it is considered one of the most elegant Buddhist sculptures ever created in Japan. Its delicate expression—often compared to the Mona Lisa—continues to fascinate visitors and scholars alike.

The temple grounds also preserve ancient artifacts, such as the famous Tenjukoku Mandala embroidery, a masterpiece of Asuka-period textile art that narrates the afterlife of Prince Shotoku. Though the original is kept in a museum, high-quality reproductions on display provide a vivid glimpse into early Japanese craftsmanship and religious imagination.

For travelers interested in imperial history, Buddhist sculpture, or the world of Prince Shotoku, Chugu-ji offers an intimate and profoundly moving encounter with Japan’s spiritual beginnings.

Explore the Sights

See photos that bring Chugu-ji Temple to life.

Traditional Japanese wooden gate with tiled roof and small gate in front, surrounded by a garden with trees and buildings in the background.
Traditional Japanese wooden gate with tiled roof, leading into a garden with trees and bushes, under a partly cloudy sky.
Traditional Japanese wooden building with curved tiled roof and sliding wooden shutters, trees, gravel pathway, and a blue sky with clouds.
Wooden sliding doors with horizontal slats on a traditional Japanese building, flanked by two benches on a wooden porch.
A tree with yellow fruit and bare branches in front of a traditional Japanese house with a tiled roof.
A peaceful gravel pathway lined with green bushes on each side, leading through a traditional Japanese setting with trees and buildings with tiled roofs under a partly cloudy sky.
Close-up of pink, white, and purple flowers on a branch with a Japanese-style garden structure in the background.
Traditional Japanese wooden shrine with a curved roof, set in a garden with trees and bushes, under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
A traditional Japanese garden with a gravel pathway, a white fence gate, decorative trees, and a tree with yellow fruit or ornaments, under a partly cloudy sky.
Traditional Japanese wooden building with curved roof, surrounded by trees and a gravel courtyard, under a blue sky with scattered clouds.