Kazusa Kokubun-ji

Kazusa Kokubun-ji (上総国分寺) is a Buddhist temple located in the city of Ichihara, Chiba, Japan. It belongs to the Shingon-shu Buzan-ha sect, and its honzon is a statue of Yakushi Nyōrai. It is the provincial temple ("kokubunji") of former Kazusa Province. The present temple is of uncertain foundation, but claims to be the direct descendant of the original Nara period kokubunji temple which fell into ruins sometime in the Muromachi period. The Nara-period temple ruins were designated a National Historic Site in 1929, with the area under protection expanded in 1979 due to additional archaeological finds.