A 6th-century founding
Shitennoji was founded in 593 by Prince Shotoku, a key early patron of Buddhism in Japan, making it among the oldest officially administered Buddhist temples in the country. The current buildings are reconstructions — the complex has burned and been rebuilt several times over fourteen centuries — but they faithfully follow the original Asuka-period layout, one of the oldest temple layouts still preserved anywhere in Japan.
What to see inside
The classic 'Shitennoji garan' layout lines a five-storey pagoda, main hall and central gate up on a single north-south axis, a distinctly different arrangement from later, more asymmetric Japanese temple layouts. A turtle pond and a separate garden section (Gokuraku-jodo Garden) round out a visit that's calm and unhurried compared to the city's bigger attractions.
Getting there
Shitennoji sits an easy walk from Tennoji and Shitennoji-mae Yuhigaoka stations, making it simple to combine with Abeno Harukas and the rest of the Tennoji area in a single half-day.