Shitennō-ji

photo by Guilhem Vellut · CC BY 2.0

photo by Guilhem Vellut · CC BY 2.0

Gate, pagoda, golden hall and preaching hall stand on a single line, from south to north.

You enter from the south and look ahead: the middle gate, the five-storey pagoda, the kondō and the preaching hall are lined up one behind the other inside a closed cloister. It is the layout that bears this temple's name, and you can walk round the outside of the central precinct at any hour: you only pay to go inside.

Founded in 593 by Prince Shōtoku, who according to the chronicle had promised a temple to the Four Heavenly Kings if he won the war against the Mononobe. The Muroto typhoon damaged it in 1934 and the bombing raids of 1945 burned it down: the central precinct you see today dates from 1963, rebuilt in reinforced concrete on the ancient plan. Since the post-war years it has been the head temple of the Wasō sect.

ℹ️ The outer precinct is open twenty-four hours, and you can pray from outside at any hour. The central precinct, the garden and the museum can be visited 8:30–16:30 from April to September, 8:30–16:00 from October to March. Separate tickets: 500 yen for the central precinct, 300 for the garden, 500 for the museum. On the 21st and 22nd of every month, and during the two equinox weeks, the central precinct is free.

🚉 Shitennoji-mae Yuhigaoka · 8 min walk

Sources: shitennoji.or.jp · shitennoji.or.jp

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