Usual hours and prices, checked 2026-10-07 against the sources under “What this place is”. They can change for holidays and events — confirm before you go. Official site
Our guide
Taima-dera, formally Nijōsan Zenrin-ji, is a temple in Taima, in the city of Katsuragi, Nara, belonging to both the Shingon and Jōdo traditions. Its main object of worship is the Taima Mandala, a picture of the Pure Land, and it is a place of pilgrimage for Pure Land Buddhists and for its link with the legend of Princess Chūjō. It also has twin three-storey pagodas built between the Nara and early Heian periods.
Taimadera Station on the Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line is about 1 km away in a straight line, and Mount Nijō about 1.9 km. We have not checked opening hours or fees.
Written by japan-spots.com (2026-09-22) from the sources credited on this page. Distances are straight lines between map positions.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence — see credits
- Taimadera Mandarahall 201905a — 8-hachiro · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Taimadera Sainan'in2 — KENPEI · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Taimadera Okunoin romon — KENPEI · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Taimadera Okunoin hondo — KENPEI · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Taimadera Niomon — KENPEI · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Taima-dera Temple - Yakushi-dô — Yanajin33 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Taemaji 2 — Dmitrismirnov · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Taimadera Eastpagoda 201905 — 8-hachiro · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Taima-dera Temple - Stone lantern — Yanajin33 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
What this place is
Taima-dera (當麻寺; also written 当麻寺) is a Buddhist temple located in the Taima neighborhood of the city of Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It belongs to the Shingon and Jōdo traditions of Japanese Buddhism and its honzon is the Taima Mandala, a graphical representation of the Pure Land. The temple's full name is Nijō-san Zenrin-ji (二上山 禅林寺). The temple is a pilgrimage site for Pure Land Buddhists, and for its connection to the legend of Princess Chūjō, as well as for its twin triple-story pagodas built in the Nara period to the early Heian period.
Visitor information checked: 2026-10-07 · Official visitor information
Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What to expect at this type of place: Temple
Nearby station
Nearby station: Taimadera (Kintetsu Minami-Osaka Line), about 1.0 km from the spot in a straight line.
Worked out on 2026-09-14 from this place’s map position, using HeartRails Express station data and station names from Wikidata. The distance is a straight line, not a walking route, and says nothing about buses, transfers or timetables — plan the trip on Google Maps.
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