Places in Japan: Zojo-ji Temple

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: Zojo-ji Temple
• Where: Tokyo, Japan
• Hours: 09:00AM – 05:00PM
• Cost: Free
• More Information: Official website

Directions

Since Zojo-ji is located near Tokyo Tower it is easily accessible via mass transit. There are multiple subway stations located within walking distance of the tower.  The closest station is Akabanebashi Station.  More information about either subway or bus access to Tokyo Tower can be found at this link.

Parking

For those looking to drive to Zojo-ji like I did, I actually found there was plenty of parking at the underground parking garage adjacent to Tokyo Tower.  Parking cost 600 yen for the first hour and 300 yen for every additional 30 minutes after the first hour.  The parking lot is open from 9:00 to 23:00.

Narrative

After visiting Tokyo Tower my family and I next decided to walk over to the nearby Zojo-ji Temple.  The reason we wanted to visit Zojo-ji wasn’t to see the temple, but instead see a tree that I will talk more about later.  After walking through the Momiji Park we crossed the street to access Zojo-ji Temple.  Near the temple’s entrance we read a large signboard that explained the history of the temple:

Zojo-ji is the chief temple of the Jodo Buddhist sect.  More famously the temple is known as being the main temple for the Tokugawa family that once ruled Japan for over 250 years during the Edo period.  The Tokugawa dynasty’s founder, Tokugawa Ieyasu established his provincial government in Edo which is now known as Tokyo back in 1590.

Tokugawa had the temple relocated from another site to Edo back in 1598 to become the family’s temple.  He built a huge building to house the main temple in plus smaller administrative buildings, shrines, and even schools on the temple’s grounds.  At one point over 3,000 priests and students once called Zojo-ji home.  A recreation of the main building can be seen today.  The building had to be rebuilt after being destroyed during World War II:

We walked up the stairs to the main temple building called “Daiden” and looked inside at the golden Buddhist altar.  There was actually a lot of people there giving offerings and prayers at the altar:

Below is the view from the main temple building looking towards the main gate called Sangedatsumon that was built in 1622.  This gate is the only original building in the temple complex that has survived all the fires, natural disasters, and war that have destroyed all the other temple buildings over the years:

Next to the main hall there is a smaller building that was closed when we visited.  After doing some research I found that a secret Buddha is kept in the building and is only open to the public on the 15th of January, May, and September:

My family I next proceeded to walk around the temple’s grounds.  One of the first things we saw was the Daibonsho bell.  This bell was completed casting in 1673 and weighs 15 tons.  It is considered one of the Big Three Bells of the Edo Period.  The bell is rung twice a day, the first time is early in the morning and the second time is in the evening:

Below is a picture of a large Buddhist statue that we passed by:

Something else we saw as we wandered around the grounds of Zojo-ji Temple was these small Buddhist statues with red bibs or hats on them.  These statues can be seen throughout Japan and are believed to be guardian deities for children.  The red hats and bibs are believed to help keep children warm.  Besides promoting the healthy growth or children the statues are also used during memorials of stillborn or miscarried children:

As we neared the historic Sangedatsumon gate, this is where we found the historic tree that we were looking for:

This tree was planted in 1879 by former President Ulysses S. Grant.  My son had done a class project on President Grant and really wanted to go and visit the tree he planted at Zojo-ji over 140 years ago:

President Grant after completing his presidency decided to travel around the world with his wife.  One of the major stops on this tour was in Japan.  Japan had just come out of the isolation of the Edo Period and the civil war of the Satsuma Rebellion just 10 years earlier.  The young Meiji emperor was looking forward to mentorship from the famous American President to help him modernize and bring his country together.  Grant was warmly received by all the Japanese people and was housed at the Imperial Palace.  Grant’s meeting with Emperor Meiji was deliberately held on July 4 in recognition of America’s Independence Day.  During his meeting with the emperor, Grant warned him to be cautious about the designs great powers may have for Japan.  Grant made a great impression on the emperor and the Japanese he met due to his kindness and humility which was not something always displayed by foreigners back then visiting Japan.  Looking at the fully grown tree today represented to me the huge growth in the U.S.-Japan alliance since 1879 that President Grant’s visit played at part in making happen:

President Grant wasn’t the only American President to plant a tree at Zojo-ji.  In 1992 President George H.W. Bush planted a tree here as well as part of his visit to Japan.  Bush’s visit to Japan was infamous due to him vomiting on the Japanese Prime Minister:

Conclusion

For those visiting Tokyo Zojo-ji is an easy temple to check out as part of any itinerary to Tokyo Tower.  Additionally the temple is one of the few things in Tokyo that is free to visit.  There is a museum that you can pay to visit on the temple’s grounds if you really want to learn more about the history of this beautiful temple.  If you don’t plan to visit Tokyo Tower than this temple is probably not worth checking out on its own; if you want to see only one temple in Tokyo go and see Asakusa Temple instead.