Muro-ji Temple, also known as Nyonin Koya(Koya for women), is a mountain temple located in Muro, near the border of Mie Prefecture, in the eastern part of the Nara Basin.  Due to the volcanic terrain of Muro, there are many strangely shaped rocks and caves, and the caves have been worshiped as dragon caves, that is, the homes of dragon gods. Even before the advent of Buddhism, the area was regarded as a sacred place for praying and stopping rain.  Concerning the founding, there is a legend that it was founded by En no Ozunu and revived by Kukai, but it is an afterthought.  The five-storied pagoda in the photo is a national treasure and was built around the year 800.  The wooden parts are painted vermillion, and it is the second oldest outdoor wooden five-storied pagoda in Japan after the pagoda of Horyuji Temple.  The height is a little over 16 meters, which is about one third of the five-storied pagoda of Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara City.  It was heavily damaged by a typhoon in 1998, but thanks to donations also from the Christian Church, it has been completely restored and stands dignified even in the snow.

女人高野として知られる室生寺は、奈良盆地の東方、三重県境に近い室生の地にある山岳寺院です。室生の地は火山性地形のため、奇岩や洞穴が多く、洞穴は竜穴、すなわち竜神の住み家として信仰を集め、仏教到来以前から当地は祈雨や止雨の霊地とみなされてきました。創建については、役小角(えんのおづぬ）の草創、空海の再興とする伝えもありますが、後の世の後付けです。写真の五重塔は国宝で、800年頃に建立されました。木部は朱塗りで、屋外にある木造五重塔としては、法隆寺の塔に次ぎわが国で2番目に古いものです。高さは16メートル強で、奈良市にある興福寺五重塔の3分の1ほどです。1998年の台風で大きく損壊しましたが、キリスト教会からの寄付があったりした中、現在は完全に修復されて、雪中にも凛として佇んでいます。