Hinokuma-dera Temple Site / Omiashi Shrine

The clan temple of an immigrant family

This is the site of a temple thought to have been the clan temple of the Yamato no Aya, a family of immigrant origin.

The Yamato no Aya traced their descent from Achi no Omi, who is said to have come to Japan in the reign of Emperor Ōjin, and they made the Hinokuma area their home base. They served the court with their skills in writing, diplomacy, civil engineering and crafts, and supported the architecture and arts of Asuka.

Where a temple and a shrine overlap

Today the temple site lies within the grounds of Omiashi Shrine, which enshrines Achi no Omi and his wife.

After the temple was lost, a shrine to the clan's founder was built in its place. A Buddhist temple turned into a Shinto shrine, yet the ancestors have continued to be honoured on the same land.

The thirteen-storey stone pagoda

In the grounds stands a thirteen-storey stone pagoda from the Heian period (794–1185). It is an Important Cultural Property.

Several of its upper storeys are missing, but it is among the oldest stone pagodas in Asuka. It stands where the temple's lecture hall is thought to have been, and it is the only structure that still conveys what the temple was like.

The temple layout revealed by excavation

Excavations have confirmed the sites of a pagoda, golden hall and lecture hall, and many roof tiles have also been found.

The temple is thought to have been founded in the late 7th century. An immigrant clan built its own temple with its own skills. The remains show plainly that the culture of Asuka was supported by people who came from abroad.

Visiting

On 26 July 2026 it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site, as one of the component parts of "Asuka-Fujiwara: Archaeological Sites of Japan's Ancient Capitals and Related Properties."

About 20 minutes on foot from Kintetsu Asuka Station. It is close to the Kitora Kofun area of the Asuka Historical National Government Park, so you can visit both on the same walk.

Few people come here. From the quiet hilltop grounds you can look down over the village of Hinokuma.