Kiyomizu-dera
Higashiyama, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
UNESCO-listed Kyoto temple famous for its wooden stage, Kannon devotion and Otowa Waterfall.
The World’s Sacred Places
Sacred Places
Discover a curated guide to significant sacred places, pilgrimage traditions, architecture, documented history and practical visitor information across cultures and faith traditions.
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Curated Discovery
Sacred Places
Browse Sacred Places selected for Templestan’s public collection.
Horyu-ji
Ikaruga, Ikoma District, Nara Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
One of the world’s oldest surviving wooden temple complexes and a foundational monument of Japanese Buddhism.
Todai-ji
Zoshicho, Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
UNESCO-listed Nara temple housing the monumental Great Buddha and central to early Japanese state Buddhism.
Byodoin Temple
Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
UNESCO-listed Pure Land Buddhist temple in Uji, famous for the 11th-century Phoenix Hall.
Kinkaku-ji (Rokuon-ji)
Kita, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
World-famous Zen temple in Kyoto centered on the gold-leaf-covered Golden Pavilion.
Yakushi-ji
Nishinokyo, Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
UNESCO-listed Nara temple dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai, the Medicine Buddha, with major early Buddhist art and pagodas.
Enryaku-ji
Sakamoto Honmachi, Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
Head temple of Tendai Buddhism on sacred Mount Hiei, a UNESCO-listed center of monastic training for more than 1,200 years.
Seiganto-ji
Nachisan, Nachikatsuura, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
Historic Buddhist temple beside Kumano Nachi Taisha, famous for its pagoda view with Nachi Falls.
Naritasan Shinsho-ji
Narita, Chiba Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
Major Shingon temple near Narita, renowned for its daily Goma fire ritual and huge New Year pilgrimage crowds.
Zenko-ji
Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
Ancient Nagano pilgrimage temple open to all sects, centered on a revered hidden Amida image.
Daihonzan Eihei-ji
Shihi, Eiheiji, Yoshida District, Fukui Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
One of the two head monasteries of Soto Zen, founded by Dogen in a forested mountain valley in Fukui.
Hase-dera (Kamakura)
Hase, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan Buddhism
Kamakura temple famous for its monumental eleven-faced Kannon and a long sacred-origin story involving a statue carried by the sea.