The Bitchū Kokubun-ji (備中国分寺) is an Omuro-branch Shingon Buddhist temple located in what is now the Kamibayashi neighborhood of the city of Sōja, Okayama, Japan. Its main image is a statue of Yakushi Nyorai. It claims to be the successor to one of the provincial temples per the system established by Emperor Shōmu during the Nara period (710 – 794) for the purpose of promoting Buddhism as the national religion of Japan and standardising Yamato rule over the provinces.[1] | ||||||
Location: Sōja, Okayama, Japan | ||||||