Cherished Legend·Rakuchū / Umekōji

Inaba Yakushi (Byodo-ji)

This Shingon temple in Shimogyō enshrines a Yakushi Buddha that, by tradition, the Inaba governor Tachibana no Yukihira drew from the sea in 997, after which the image flew to the capital in pursuit of him. It is said to have begun when he enshrined it at his home in 1003, and to have received the name Byōdō-ji from Emperor Takakura in 1171. Counted among Japan's three great Nyorai, alongside those of Saga and Shinano Zenkō-ji, it now draws prayers to ward off cancer.

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These notes come from desk research. Local traditions vary.