Kanzeon-ji (Dazaifu)

photo by そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0

Its bronze of 698 is the oldest bell in Japan, now in the Kyushu Museum.

Founded at the wish of Emperor Tenchi in memory of his mother, Empress Saimei, the temple took about 80 years to complete (ceremony for the complex in 746). Its bell tower held the bronze bell cast around 698, the oldest in Japan, designated a National Treasure, and now on deposit at the Kyushu National Museum. In 761 the Kaidan-in was established here, one of the ‘three great kaidan of Japan’, where Ganjin and Kūkai stayed and where monastic ordination ceremonies were held for the first time. The temple also keeps 16 Buddhist statues from the Heian and Kamakura periods, designated Important Cultural Properties.

ℹ️ Mon–Thu 9:00–16:30, Fri–Sun 9:00–17:00. Ticket: adults ¥600, university students ¥400, students ¥150 (source: dazaifu.org, the official Dazaifu tourist board). 20 minutes' walk from the station, 5 from the bus terminal.

🚉 Gojo · 12 min walk

Sources: dazaifu.org

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