Usu Zenkoji 有珠善光寺
One of only three official temples of Ezo (the old name of Hokkaido), designated in 1804.
Usu Zenkōji is, according to tradition, the oldest temple in Hokkaido: its founding in 826 by the monk Ennin is not historically documented, only handed down. In 1804 the Tokugawa shogunate chose it as one of only three official temples for Ezo (蝦夷三官寺), together with the Tōjuin in Samani and the Kokutaiji in Atsukeshi: a role that was also administrative, since the area did not yet have a stable civil government. It has been a national Historic Site since 1974 and part of Hokkaido Heritage since 2018. The treasure hall, open since 2011, displays more than 200 of the temple's possessions, of which 62 (17 printing blocks, 22 documents, 8 sacred texts and 15 paintings and ritual objects) have national Important Cultural Property status.
Hokkaido
Usu, [object Object]
