IKARUGA AND HORYUJI
- José Carlos Gómez Delgado
- Apr 18, 2016
- 1 min read
Ikaruga is a small town southwest of Nara that owes all his fame to stunning Horyuji Temple complex, built by order of Prince Shotoku during the reign of Empress Suiko. Indeed, the entire area around this temple is breathtaking, forming a small citadel of buildings inside the temple walls. Long walls give way to various temples, which kept beautiful gardens and impressive wooden buildings. The pagoda is one of the three famous pagodas of Ikaruga. Horyuji, along with Himeji Castle, was one of the first places designated by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site.
But Ikaruga has charm beyond the Horyuji. It is recommended to do a route through this pleasant town to visit Fujinoki Tumulus, the Tatsuta Shrine and then approaching to the park along the river Tatsuta, a great place for lunch under the blossoming cherry tree. Several locals told me that the hill in the photo is famous for the profusion of cherry blossoms, however, the day I went there were still three or four days till cherry blossom blooming.
Other points of interest are Ikaruga Shrine, on the edge of a pond, and especially the almost twin temples Horinji and Hokiji, located in the north. These temples are famous also for its pagodas, which make up, with the Horyuji one, the three famous pagodas of Ikaruga.
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