Oka-dera
Buddhist temple in Nara Prefecture, Japan
Oka-dera (岡寺) is a Buddhist temple located in the Oka neighborhood of the village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It belongs to the Shingon-shū Buzan-ha sect and its honzon is a clay statue of Nyōirin Kannon Bosatsu. The temple's full name is Tōkō-zan Shinjūin-in Ryūgai-ji (東光山 真珠院 龍蓋寺). The temple is the 7th stop on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage pilgrimage route.
Overview
The foundation of this temple is uncertain. According to the "Gien-den" in the "Tōdaiji Yoroku" and the "Fusō Ryakuki", the temple was founded when the monk Gien (643-728) built a building on the site of the Okamiya Palace, the residence of Prince Kusakabe, the son of Emperor Tenmu who died in 689. According to the temple's legend, Gien sealed an evil dragon which had been tormenting the local residences in a pond and covered it with stones. This led the temple to become famous as a place for prayers to ward off evil, and it attracted numerous pilgrims from the Heian period onwards, and to the temple' formal name of Ryūgai-ji (龍蓋寺; "Dragon Lid Temple"). However, the first appearance of the temple in historical documentation is in an entry in the "Shōsōin Documents" in July 740.
The current temple is located on a hillside east of Asuka Village, and so the temple was nicknamed "Oka-dera"; however, roof tiles dating to the early Nara period have been excavated from the grounds of Haruta Shrine, adjacent to the west of the temple, and it is believed that this was the site of the temple when first constructed.
The public source identifies “Oka-dera” as buddhist temple in Nara Prefecture, Japan. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Oka-dera, Buddhist and temple.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Oka-dera”, the useful work is to connect “buddhist temple in Nara Prefecture, Japan” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 30, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3349998. Authority coordinates are 34.472, 135.828. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Oka-dera”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Oka-dera primary sources, Oka-dera archive and Oka-dera research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Oka-dera”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Oka-dera” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.