Obitoke-dera Temple – Prayers for Safe Childbirth & Fertility

Obitoke Temple — Revered by Emperors and Shoguns

Obitoke Temple was founded around 1,200 years ago.
According to legend, the Empress of Emperor Montoku once prayed here for a child, as she had been struggling with infertility. Her prayers were answered, and she safely gave birth to a son who later became Emperor Seiwa.

Because her “obi” (a sash worn around the belly) was safely untied at the time of birth, the temple was named Obitoke-dera, meaning “Temple of the Untied Sash,” by Emperor Montoku himself.

Since then, the temple’s main deity, Obitoke Koyasu Jizo, has been widely worshipped by people praying for safe childbirth and fertility.

During the Edo period, even women of the powerful Tokugawa family came here to pray. It is said that the mothers of the third shogun Iemitsu and the fourth shogun Ietsuna successfully gave birth after visiting this temple.

A Once-Bustling Route in Front of Obitoke Temple

Today, the road in front of Obitoke Temple is a narrow local street, but around 130 years ago—before the JR railway was built—it was one of the main highways in Nara.

Known as the Kamitsu Road, it was a major pilgrimage route connecting Osaka and Nara with sacred sites such as Ise Grand Shrine and Hasedera Temple. The road was once bustling with pilgrims and travelers.

Many people would leave Osaka in the morning, cross Mount Ikoma at the border between Osaka and Nara, and stay overnight in the Naramachi area near Sarusawa Pond. The next day, they would pass by Omiwa Shrine and continue on foot toward Hasedera.

Even today, you can find remnants of that era—old houses and traces of the historic road—scattered along the route.