Hidden in the woods of Yoshino in southern Nara Prefecture is a quiet temple with a storied past. Originally founded in the 10th century, the temple gained siginificant notoriety in the 14th century when Emperor Go-Daigo moved his imperial court from the north (Heian-kyô/Kyoto) to the south in Yoshino. The emperor was recently ousted from the capital by the very warriors he had worked with to overthrow the warrior government of the time, the Kamakura bakufu. He and his allies formed a new court in Yoshino to combat the usurpers, but the emperor passed only two years later and his supporters were removed or eliminated soon after. Emperor Go-Daigo and his wife are buried within small earthen tombs on the slopes just above the temple grounds.

For the casual: 2. For the educated: 6.

To be honest, there isn’t much of a reason to visit this temple. There’s nothing particularly outstanding to see and it’s a long travel for those with no more than a vague interest. There are two scenarios where I believe someone could have more of a reason to visit: first as scholars or those interested in Japanese history, and second as a casual visitor in spring.

For a more educated visitor, the temple is of course home to an emperor’s tomb, and it’s the tomb of a particularly prominant emperor in a long long line of puppet emperors. This guy was actually able to take back his political power even if for only a few years. I mean, no one else was ever able to do that until Emperor Meiji in 1868. But more than that, the temple is home to a treasure hall with items of note belonging to the emperor and his loyal retainers. There are pieces from Kusunoki Masashige (See my post on Minatogawa Jinja), armor sets, paintings, and even the names of loyal retainers carved into the temple door.

Visitors to Japan in spring, particularly in late March-early April, are treated to the entire nation turning to pink with the annual wash of cherry blossoms. There are many brilliant places across the country to see these famous blossoms, but the slopes of Yoshino are literally COVERED in cherry trees. Every spring the entire mountainside turns pink, and the temple grounds are no exception. If you enjoy the annual blooms, then Nyoirinji is a pretty nice spot to pull over and enjoy the flutter of petals through the air.