Shōbō-ji

photo by Hokahoka · CC BY-SA 3.0

photo by Gaz.mi11wood · CC BY 4.0

The thatched roof of the hondō is the largest in Japan: 30×21 m, with the ridge at 26 m.

Founded in 1348, the temple was for centuries the ‘third head temple’ of the Sōtō school, after Eihei-ji and Sōji-ji. The hondō, which still carries that rank, is covered by the most extensive thatched roof in Japan: 30 metres across the front, 21 deep, a ridge at 26 metres with a pitch of 49 degrees, for 720 tsubo of surface area. The hondō, kura and sanmon have been Important Cultural Properties since 1990.

Sōtō school temple in Mizusawa, Ōshū, founded in 1348 by Mutei Ryōshō as a Zen dojo behind the ancient Tendai temple of Kokuseki-ji: the first Sōtō temple in Tōhoku.

ℹ️ Open all year, 9:00–17:00 (16:00 from November to March). Admission 500¥ adults, 300¥ junior high, 200¥ elementary school. 20–25 minutes by car from JR Mizusawa or Mizusawa-Esashi stations; without a car it is inconvenient.

🚉 Shōbō-ji (正法寺) / Kuroishi (黒石) come fermata intermedia · 2 min walk

Sources: city.oshu.iwate.jp · online.bunka.go.jp

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