周防国分寺｜およそ1,300年の歴史と数多くの文化財を有し歴史的価値の高い寺院
●仁王門
文禄5年（1596年）に毛利輝元が再建。天平創建時の旧境内地に立っています。重層入母屋造りの本瓦葺きで、脇間の奥には室町時代の仁王像を安置しています。大伽藍の威容を誇る楼門であり、山口県指定有形文化財に指定されています。
Niomon Gate
Reconstructed by Terumoto Mohri in 1596, this gate stands on the site of the original grounds established during the Tenpyo era.Built in a two-story irimoya-style structure with tiled roofing, it houses statues of the Nio guardians from the Muromachi period in its side compartments.The gate is a majestic gate of the large temple complex and is designated as a tangible cultural property by Yamaguchi Prefecture.
●念珠作り体験
念珠とは、腕にかけるお守りのことで、常にご自身を守って下さいます。
普段非公開の持仏堂にて、重要文化財の仏様に見守られながら念珠作りを体験することができます。
Nenju （Prayer Bead） Making Experience
Nenju [Prayer bead] is protective talisman worn around the wrist, believed to offer constant protection.Visitors can experience making prayer beads in the Jibutsudo Hall, which is usually closed to the public, while being watched over by the Buddha, an important cultural property.
●写経体験
お経を1文字1文字、心を込めて浄写することで、心を鎮め心身の浄化をする体験ができます。歴史の息吹を感じながら、多くの仏様に囲まれた静寂な金堂で写経することで、心が落ち着き、心を清めることで新たな気づきや発見を生むことができます。
Shakyo （Sutra Copying） Experience
Copying sutras character by character with mindfulness helps calm the heart and purify the body and soul. By copying sutras in the quiet Kondo Hall surrounded by many Buddhist statues while feeling a breath of history, you can calm your mind and create new insights and discoveries by purifying your mind.
●聖天堂
周防国分寺の西端に位置する聖天堂。健康、商売繁盛、良縁成就、夫婦和合および幸運全般を与えてくださる神様「聖天尊」が安置されています。
Shotendo Hall
Shotendo is located at the western end of Suo Kokubunji Temple.This hall enshrines Shotenson, a belief to bestow blessings such as health, business prosperity, fulfilling relationships, marital harmony, and general good fortune.
●盆施餓鬼法会
先祖の霊を迎え入れ、供養するための大切な期間「お盆」に行われる法要です。
「施餓鬼(せがき)」とは、飢えや渇きに苦しむ死者の霊魂にお供えを施し、供養するための儀式です。先祖供養とともに餓鬼供養を一緒に行うことで、徳を積みそのご利益を頂く法会です。
Bon Segaki Ritual
This is a Buddhist memorial service held during the Bon Festival, an important period for welcoming the spirits of ancestors and making offerings to them.Segaki is a ritual that introduces offerings to the spirits of the dead who are suffering from hunger and thirst.Combining ancestral worship with Segaki offerings helps accumulate merit and receive blessings.
●灯籠流し防府市仏教団
大切な人を想い、夏の夜に紙でできた六角柱の灯籠を川面に浮かべ、ゆっくりと流れていく様子を、手を合わせながら先祖の御霊を慰め送り出す行事です。
灯籠の明かりとともに佐波川の川面を彩る美しい光景は、夏の風物詩として広く親しまれています。
Lantern Floating Ceremony by the Hofu Buddhist Association
In memory of loved ones, people float paper lanterns made of hexagonal pillars on the surface of the river on summer nights, and as they slowly float down the river, they comfort the spirits of their ancestors and send them off while holding hands with them.The beautiful scene of glowing lanterns adorning the surface of the Saba River is a cherished summer tradition.
●弘法大師供養法会 四国八十八箇所お砂踏み
弘法大師の威徳を偲び、感謝と祈りを捧げる法要の一環「お砂踏み」。四国八十八箇所の霊場への実際の巡礼が肉体的な旅であるのに対し、お砂踏みは心の巡礼を体現し、砂を踏むことで、八十八箇所の霊場を巡ったのと同じご利益、心の浄化を得ることができるとされており、内なる自分と向き合う時間を持つことができます。
Kobo Daishi Memorial Ceremony
Pilgrimage Sand Treading at 88 Places in Shikoku
Osunafumi (Pilgrimage Sand Treading) is a part of the Buddhist memorial service to remember the virtues of Kobo-Daishi and to offer thanksgiving and prayers. While the actual pilgrimage to the 88 sacred sites in Shikoku is a physical journey, Osunafumi
embodies a pilgrimage of the heart, and it is believed that by stepping on sand, one can obtain the same benefits and purification of the heart as if one had visited 88 sacred sites, allowing time to face oneself within.
●金堂内
国指定重要文化財に指定されている金堂内の須弥壇には、50余体の仏像を安置し、仏像の世界観を展開しています。室町時代制作の仏像としては極めて珍しい大型像の本尊藥師如来坐像（重要文化財）を中心とし、日光・月光菩薩立像、十二神将などが安置され、また、四隅を固める一木造の四天王像は中央の薬師如来坐像を守護しています。
Inside Kondo
The Kondo’s Shumidan (altar), designated as a National Important Cultural Property, houses more than 50 statues of Buddha to present a world view of Buddhist statues.The main statue of Yakushi Nyorai (designated as an Important Cultural Property), which is an extremely rare large statue for a Buddhist statue produced in the Muromachi period (1336-1573), is the center of the hall, along with standing statues of Nikko and Gakko Bosatsu, the Twelve Divine Generals, etc. The four wooden statues of Shitenno (Four Heavenly Kings), which adorn the four corners, protect the central seated Yakushi Nyorai statue.
●四季の花々
境内には、災いや厄を“滑り落とす” という意味が込められた夏の花「百日紅（サルスベリ）」や、花弁の色が朝は白く時間とともにピンクに変化し、夕方から夜にかけて紅色へ変わる幻想的な秋の花「酔芙蓉( スイフヨウ）」が咲きます。そのほか、梅や桜、紫陽花など、一年を通して四季折々の花々が参拝者を出迎えてくれます。
Flowers of the Four Seasons
The temple grounds showcase seasonal blooms year-round, including the summer flower ”sarusuberi”（crape myrtle）, symbolizing the shedding of calamities, and the autumn flower ”suifuyo” (Cotton rose hibiscus), which changes color throughout the day—from white in the morning to pink and then deep red by evening.Visitors can also enjoy plum blossoms, cherry blossoms, hydrangeas, and other flowers as they change with the seasons.