Anraku-ji

photo by KANEI · CC BY 2.0

photo by Koichi Shibata · CC BY-SA 3.0

Its octagonal pagoda, unique in Japan, has been a National Treasure since 29 March 1952.

The three-storey octagonal pagoda is the only example of its kind still standing in Japan: as you arrive you see it rise above the rest of the complex, with the eight-sided plan that sets it apart from every other Buddhist pagoda in the country.

A Sōtō Zen temple in the Bessho Onsen hot spring area, known as ‘the Kamakura of Shinshū’ for its links with the Kamakura period. Founded in the eighth century, it is the oldest Zen temple in Nagano; its octagonal pagoda was built by the end of the thirteenth century according to a 2004 survey, and is considered the oldest Zen architecture in the country. The pagoda was designated a National Treasure on 29 March 1952, the same day as Matsumoto Castle. The temple also holds two statues of abbots designated Important Cultural Properties.

ℹ️ Open 8:00–16:45 (March–October), 8:00–15:45 (November–February), with no closing days. Ticket 300 yen. Ten minutes’ walk from the Ueda Dentetsu railway terminus at Bessho Onsen.

🚉 Bessho-onsen · 17 min walk

Sources: intojapanwaraku.com · shinshu.net

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