Byodo-in Phoenix Hall — 10-Yen Coin Temple

Byodo-in Temple (平等院) features the Phoenix Hall (鳳凰堂, Hōōdō), a National Treasure depicted on Japan's 10-yen coin and 10,000-yen note. Built in 1053 as a Pure Land Buddhist paradise on earth, the hall's symmetrical wings resemble a phoenix in flight, reflecting in the pond before it. The architecture represents the ultimate expression of Heian-period (794–1185) aesthetics — graceful, aristocratic, and otherworldly.

The hall houses a 3-meter-tall golden Amida Buddha statue (also National Treasure) surrounded by 52 wooden bodhisattva figures appearing to fly through clouds on the walls — a frozen moment of celestial beings descending to welcome souls to paradise.