Located in Ayabe City next to the Yura-gawa River, Shoreki-ji Temple was built in the year 942. The temple enshrines a statue of the bodhisattva Kannon carved by the temple’s founder, Kuya, a famous priest in the Heian era (794-1185). The statue can only be seen by the public every 33 years. Some of the temple's other treasures include a Thousand-Armed Kannon statue (a designated cultural property of Ayabe City) and a nirvana painting (an Important Cultural Property).
The dry rock garden, which was built in the middle of the Edo period (1603-1868), is a designated scenic spot in Kyoto Prefecture. There are annually flowering plants such as azaleas and bushclover that color the garden throughout the seasons, as well as many ancient trees, including a zelkova tree selected as one of the ten famous trees of Ayabe City.
- Address
- 45 Donomae, Tera-machi, Ayabe City, Kyoto Prefecture
- Access
- Train: From Ayabe station on the JR Sanin Line, take a taxi for 5 minutes, or walk 30 minutes.
Bus: From Ayabe Station on the JR Sanin Line, take the Aya Bus (Shiga Nanboku line) to "Omoto Choseiden-mae" bus stop and walk for 5 minutes.
Car: 10 minutes from Maizuru Wakasa Expressway, Ayabe Interchange exit.
10 minutes from Kyoto Jukan Expressway, Kyotanba-wachi Interchange exit. - Business Hours
- Always open
- Parking
- Space for regular-sized vehicles: 10 cars (Price: Free)
