Sukyoji Temple 宗鏡寺

Official explanation

Built in 1392, this temple was used as a place of worship by many generations and was re-established by the Buddhist priest Takuan Soho in 1616. Takuan is also known as the inventor of takuan a type of pickle made by marinating dried daikon radish in rice bran, and because of this, many locals call Sukyoji the “Takuan Temple.”

Around the back of the main hall (hondo) is the temple’s attractive garden, a peaceful place filled with lush greenery, a small pond, and memorials to a local daimyo of the late Edo period (1603–1868) and Takuan Soho. The gardens are also a popular spot for enjoying the autumn foliage.

Read the full explanation

Other highlights of Sukyoji Temple include the zazen meditation experience and Buddhist cuisine (shoin ryori) available to visitors. Zazen meditation involves meditating while in a sitting posture and is usually done for about 20 minutes in a special meditation hall on the temple grounds. This particular hall was built on the initiative of Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of the Japanese electronics corporation Panasonic. For those interested in the temple’s culinary traditions, a taste of shojin ryori, the typical vegetarian Buddhist cuisine, is a must.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.