Nara - Shin-Yakushiji Temple

The Shin-Yakushiji Temple was founded by the Empress Komyo in 747 to secure the help of the gods in curing an eye complaint from which her husband Shomu suffered. The temple, a classic example of the Late Nara style, takes its name from the Healing Buddha (Yakushi) to whom it is dedicated. It contains a statue of Yakushi-nyorai, carved from a single piece of wood, and a statue of the Eleven-Headed Kannon, surrounded by 12 pottery figures of guardian divinities (Juni-shinsho) - all masterpieces of Late Nara sculpture. The Hondo (Main Hall) is the only part of the temple surviving from the Nara period; all the other buildings were destroyed at an early stage.