Nishiarai Daishi

photo by Tak1701d · CC BY-SA 3.0

Home to one of the 6 surviving sazae-dō (spiral pagodas) in Japan, from 1834.

Within the temple grounds stands the 三匝堂 (sansōdō), a three-storey pagoda with a staircase, once spiral, that let you go up and down without crossing other visitors: only six remain in all of Japan today, and this one has been a cultural property registered by the municipality of Adachi since 1982. On weekdays the temple is often almost empty; on the 21st of every month, the day dedicated to Kōbō Daishi, and at New Year, attendance for the purification rites (護摩祈願) rises sharply.

A temple of the shingon-shū, founded according to tradition in 826, one of the ‘three great daishi of Kantō’ for exorcism. The 三匝堂, built in 1834 (天保5年) and restored in 1884, has been a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (足立区登録有形文化財) of the municipality of Adachi since 10 December 1982. The peony garden, with about a hundred varieties, blooms between mid-April and early May according to a blog specialising in flowers; in early July the temple hosts the 風鈴祭り, a fair of wind chimes from all over Japan (exact date not published on the official site).

ℹ️ The temple grounds are open 6:00–20:00; the main hall and the fortune slips (おみくじ) 8:00–18:00; counters and amulets 9:00–16:30; goshuin stamps 9:30–12:30 and 13:00–16:30. Open all year except for one day of major cleaning at the end of November. Free entry. On the 21st of every month (Kōbō Daishi rite, with a plant market in March–May) and at New Year attendance is high; on weekdays the temple is often empty, and one review notes that the minor chapels are less well kept than the main hall.

🚉 Daishimae · 3 min walk

Sources: nishiaraidaishi.or.jp · city.adachi.tokyo.jp · nishiaraidaishi.or.jp

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