Chūgū-ji Temple

is a Buddhist temple located in the town of Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It was founded as a nunnery in the seventh century by Shōtoku Taishi. Located immediately to the northeast of Hōryū-ji, its statue of Miroku and Tenjukoku mandala are National Treasures. Chūgū-ji is one of three nunneries in Yamato whose chief priestesses were imperial princesses.

==History== Chūgū-ji is currently adjacent to the East Temple of Hōryū-ji, but when it was first built, it was located about 500 meters east , at a location which is now the Chūgū-ji Historical Site Park. The details of its foundation are uncertain, as there is no mention of the foundation of the temple in the Nihon Shoki, or other contemporary historical documentation. Per the Hōryū-ji Engi (747) and the "Jōgū Shōtoku Hōō Tei-setsu," it is said to be one of the "Seven Temples Built by Prince Shōtoku." Archaeological excavations on the former temple grounds suggest that it was founded in the early 7th century, around the same time as Hōryū-ji, and have uncovered roof tiles of the same type as those of Mukohara-ji (Sakurai Nunnery), which suggests that it was a nunnery from the beginning.