Abe Monjuin is a temple at the southern end of Nara prefecture before the mountains of Wakayama prefecture. Founded in the 7th century, it is claimed to be one of the oldest temples in Japan. The temple is home to Monju Bosatsu, the Buddha of Wisdom, which is depicted as a wooden carving of the Buddha sitting atop the back of a great lion. With a sword in hand, Monju cuts through the ignorance in the world.

In addition to the temple's natural prominance as a premier temple of ancient Japan, Abe Monjuin is also the birthplace of famed figure Abe no Seimei, an onmyoji of the Imperial Court. Onmyoji were spiritual advisers that interpreted divinations, advised in spiritual counceling, and used wards and enchantments to ward off evil spirits. Abe no Seimei was exceedingly skilled in his duties that his family, the Abe, would be tasked with the Bureau of Onmyo until it was disbanded in the Meiji Restoration of the 19th century. Abe no Seimei quickly became a legend following his death and many of his deeds were embellished with spiritual overtones. For example, it was said that his affinity for divination was due to his mother, a fox whom his father had saved from a hunt and in tern she turned into a human and bore him a son. This means that Seimei was part yokai, or part mystic beast if you will, and therefore was also skilled at controling other yokai to do his bidding. Likely none of this is true, but the niche that Abe no Seimei occupies is the legends of Japan means that Abe Monjuin is a temple of divine and auspicious association.

For the casual: 4. For the educated: 8.

Abe Monjuin is a beautiful temple in southern Nara, but that's not why I rated this temple lowly for casual visitors. The temple takes some time to get to considering how far you need to travel if you're planning on visiting from somewhere like Osaka or Kyoto. With all that distance traveled, the temple really needs to have a serious visual draw to make it worth it all, but it doesn't. Abe Monjuin is far more suited to those that want to tap into the auspicious luck that the temple draws, or those who are familiar with the legends that surround the temple itself.

That being said, I don't want to snub the beauty of the temple or the images inside. The temple is small, but a hexagonal pavilion in the middle of a pond offers visitors a fairly beautiful sight. The pavilion is meant to be a center for divination, dividing the universe into its auspicious directions and the like. Inside the pavilion are some treasures of the temple on display as well as an altar to Abe no Seimei. The Hondo hall of the temple is home to the massive statue of Monju that I mentioned earlier. It was taller than I had expected and also far more beautiful. Photos of the statues are available online, but photographs indoors are prohibited. I do recommend visiting this temple for anyone who is willing to make the trip or is in the area, regardless of how I ranked the temple.

Happy Year of the Dog with the complex in the background.

Nishi and Higashi (West and East respectively) Honganji are a pair of sister temples located in the heart of Kyoto. Though the buildings were built in the late 16th early 17th centuries, they were once a single temple that was constantly relocated throughout time. Originally built as a temple to house the cremated remains of monk Shinran Shonin (1173-1263), the founder of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism, the temple and the cremated remains were moved periodically around the Kyoto and Osaka areas. Sometimes the temple would be burned down due to succession disputes, wars boiling over, and even by other temples like Enryakuji feeling threatened by the growing success of the Honganji temple.

In 1591 Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a supporter of the Honganji temple, moved Honganji from Osaka to its present location in Kyoto. However, a succession dispute arose following the death of the 11th head monk Kennyo. The fight was between the eldest son Kyonyo and the third son Junnyo. The tension arose from sides taken in the Ishiyama War between Honganji and its backers vs Oda Nobunaga and his forces. Oda wanted the temple site in Osaka for its strategic position and the temple said no. Pretty simple. After 10 years of fighting, head monk Kennyo agreed to reconcile with Oda, but eldest son Kyonyo wanted to continue the resistance. After Oda was assassinated in 1582, his general, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, took control and unified Japan. That's when he donated the land and helped the temple move. So when Kennyo died, Kyonyo assumed the title of the 12th head monk as eldest son, but upon officiation of Kennyo's will as done by Toyotomi, the title of head monk was instead passed to the third son Junnyo. Later still in 1602, Kyonyo would build his own temple on a plot of land donated by future shogun and founder of the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieyasu. The plot of land was only a few blocks east of the original temple. As time passed, Junnyo's temple, the original Honganji, was renamed Nishi Honganji, and the second temple founded by Kyonyo was named Higashi Honganji. Both prospered significantly and are home to National Treasures as well as Important Cultural Items.

For the casual: 9. For the educated: 9.

For all you history nerds out there, isn't this great? This is one temple, split in two, in the heart of Kyoto, supported by two of the Three Great Unifiers, fought against the other one, burned down by them Hiezan screwballs, and yet kept collecting and focusing massive amounts of support from patrons despite being burned down, moved, burned again, moved, and finally turned into a newt which got better. I mean really! If you ever wanted a bit of drama in your life look no further. And what's better? They're friggin’ beautiful!!! The feel of the wood under your feet, the large lecture halls, the exquisite carved figures, cast iron fountains, etc. I could go on but I won't. Well, that's a lie because I totally will! Anyways, Nishi and Higashi Honganji are the answers to the prayers of those who really want to see an important institution in the Kyoto area with breathtaking beauty but is devoid of crowds. I mean really! If you're like me but you haven't been here then shame on you. This is one of the best kept secrets in Kyoto. It's so well kept I'm confident I can write about this as much as I want and the crowds still won't get any larger! Ok, that's also partially because I'm pretty sure I'm the only person reading my own posts, but hey! I get to re-live some of my best experiences writing this all out.

Funny thing, these temples are SUPER similar. So first, they both pretty much follow the same teachings: when you die you call out the name of Amida Buddha who picks you up in his heavenly stretch limo filled with his everlasting squad of Bodhisattvas, Immortals, and other supporting cast to take you to the Pureland in the West (based on the Chinese Daoist "Western Paradise") where the dead can find enlightenment in a karmically pure land. Oh, and they thank the monk Shinran for totally telling everyone about this in Japan. Anyways, the difference is that Higashi Honganji is more extreme with its views and that's pretty much it. But it's not just teachings that are practically identical, it's also the temple structures. The first time I was visiting these temples one of them was under construction so it was really clear that I had gone to Nishi Honganji (no construction) and then Higashi Honganji (totes construction). But visiting with my friend again a few weeks ago, I couldn't tell which temple I was at. Without the construction, THE LAYOUT IS EXACTLY THE SAME!!!!! Even writing this I've had to go back through my photos and my notes to figure out which temple I am actually looking at because I really cannot tell the difference. All I can say is that I translated the comment-card sign at Higashi Honganji into English and when I came back they were using it, so you’re welcome heathens!!! MUAHAHAHA!!!

Upside: these temples are super close to Tôji and Kyoto station so it's very easy to get there though not by public transportation (I recommend walking). Downside: no goshuin so don't expect to find any. Upside: they sell incense that smells amazingly good. I bought myself a box and I'm not done yet!!! Downside: . . . I can't think of one right now. . .