Nyohodo (Okunoin)

The Nyohodo Hall sits at the top of 1,015 steps at the Yamadera temple complex, part of the inner Okunoin sanctuary. Inside, monks in training practice a labor-intensive sutra-copying tradition established by the temple's 9th-century founder Ennin. Trainees use mugwort brushes and graphite ink to copy the Lotus Sutra one character at a time, prostrating and reciting the full sutra three times after each character. Completing all eight scrolls can take up to four years. Finished copies are enshrined as offerings during leap years. The hall also enshrines statues of Shakyamuni and the Buddha of Abundant Treasures.