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A historically famous non-sectarian temple in Japan, founded about 1400 years ago. The enshrined Buddha is believed to save any kind of people regardless of their religious affiliation so the other sectarian believers are welcome to visit.
This historical large-scaled temple is about 59,000 square meters (about 5.9 ha) and was founded 1400 years ago. Many Buddhist facilities fill the compound. Some of them are; Daikanjin and Daihongan (they are also independent temples), and guests' quarters. This temple was founded at a specific time before the various subsects of Buddhism came into being. Some of the worshippers were those with power at the time, such as Minamoto no Yoritomo and Tokugawa Ieyasu , as well as the common people. "Following a cow brings you to Zenkoji Temple" is a famous phrase of the legend related to Zenkoji Temple , which means doing or receiving something good by accident or through the invitation of somebody else, and this phrase still has invited 6 million people every year for worship.
Being designated as a National Treasure, the Main Hall is the largest wooden-cultural building within Eastern Japan. The oldest Buddha statue of Japan, “Amida Triad Sharing One Halo” was brought to Japan in 552 CE together with the introduction of Buddhism, and has been enshrined as a Principal image of Buddha. O-KAIDAN Tour should be recommended during a visit to Zenkoji Temple . In O-KAIDAN Tour, visitors walk through the underground corridor running beneath the main hall in total darkness, and touching the key set just beneath the Principal image is believed to promise you the Land of Happiness in the afterlife.
The Principal image is completely hidden but another image made in the Kamakura period (the end of the 12th century) called “Maedachi Honzon” is opened to the public once in seven years by the traditional year-counting method.
Sanmon (The most important gate of the temple) ©善光寺
The Main Hall ©善光寺
The Nio-mon gate ©善光寺
A stone pavement leads you to the Main Gate. ©善光寺
A symbol of “Gokaicho”, Eko-bashira s are set at the temple office. ©善光寺
The goods store ©善光寺
Some reviews are AI-translated.
Zenkoji Temple isn't just a historic site—it's also a deeply spiritual place.
The atmosphere inside the temple is solemn and peaceful. It really calms your mind. I love how everything here feels so beautiful.
There are tons of shops to check out along the Omotesando street.
Mostly locals come here to pray, and you don't see many foreign tourists. It's a designated Important Cultural Property of Japan and definitely one of the most iconic spots in Nagano City.
This is one of the most iconic temples in Nagano. Almost every Japanese person comes here to pray at least once.
