Awa Kokubun-ji (Chiba)
Awa Kokubun-ji is a Buddhist temple in the Kokubun district of Tateyama, Chiba, Japan. It belongs to the Shingon-shū Chisan-ha sect, and its main image is a statue of Yakushi Nyōrai (the Medicine Buddha). The temple is the modern successor of one of the provincial temples built under Emperor Shōmu in the Nara period to promote Buddhism and unite the country.
Foundation stones at the site are protected as historic sites: a Tateyama City site since 1957 and a Chiba Prefecture site since 1992. The Shoku Nihongi records that in 741, after a smallpox outbreak, the emperor ordered monasteries and nunneries in every province (kokubunji). Awa Kokubun-ji sits on an old sand dune near Tateyama, not far from the coast, with the ruins of the Nara‑period temple overlapping the current grounds. The nearby Kokubun-niji nunnery ruins are about 900 meters to the north. An entrance road runs north to south, aligning with ancient land divisions seen in the area.
Tradition says the temple was founded in 727 by Kanoya Sunayo, with a Yakushi Nyorai statue carved by Gyōki. However, its establishment likely occurred after the imperial edict, since Awa Province had a complicated history with Kazusa Province. The temple first appears in records in 886 and is thought to have been formed from an existing private temple (jogakuji) around that time. The Engishiki (927) does not mention Awa Kokubun-ji, possibly because taxes were collected from Kazusa.
Little else is known about the temple’s later history. A Nanboku-cho period stupa remains on the grounds, and the Main Hall was rebuilt in 1735 during the Edo period. Since 1976, excavations have found a probable Nara‑period foundation, a boundary ditch, and many roof tiles, along with a shard of sancai pottery shaped like an animal leg. The foundation area measures about 22 by 15 meters. Four corner stones from the old temple are kept on site.
The temple is about 2.5 kilometers east of Tateyama Station on the JR East Uchibo Line.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 21:23 (CET).