Zojoji was founded in 1393 as an orthodox and fundamental nembutsu seminary for Jodo shu in the Kanto (east Japan) region.
Zojoji was relocated to the present site in 1598 after Ieyasu Tokugawa, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, entered Edo (present-day Tokyo) in 1590 to establish his provincial government. After the start of the Edo Period when the Tokugawa shogunate ruled Japan, Zojoji became the family temple of the Tokugawa family and an unparalleled grand cathedral was built.
The cathedral, temples and the mausoleum of the Tokugawa family were burned down by air raids during World War II. Today, however, its cathedral and other structures have been rebuilt, and Zojoji continues to serve as the main temple of Jodo shu and the central nembutsu seminary for priests and novices.
The main entrance to the temple, the 1622 red-laquered Sangedatsumon Gate, survived the bombing of the war and today remains the only architectural reminder of the early days of the Edo Period when the original Zojoji was constructed on a prodigious scale.
The Main Hall , which forms the core of the Buddhist structures of Zojoji, was rebuilt in 1974 by combining the traditional Buddhist temple architecture with a cream of modern architecture.
Times and Prices
Admission: Free
Hours: Daily dawn - dusk
Location
Near Shiba Park, Minato-ku, next to Tokyo Tower
How to Get There
Daimon Station, or
Onarimon Station
EXternal Links
Official Zojiji web site
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