Religious Sites in Shunan, Japan
Religious Sites in Shunan
Category types
Types of Attractions
Sights & Landmarks
Sights & Landmarks
Traveler rating
Good for
8 places sorted by traveler favorites
- Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.
Religious Sites
Religious Sites
Religious Sites
Religious Sites
Religious Sites
What travelers are saying
- kobekkoKobe93 contributionsThe gardens found in this temple could win over many of the famous temple gardens in Kyoto. Why are they yet so little-known, not just to foreign visitors, but also to Japanese visitors? The answer is; “Location, location, location!” The visitor who depends on public transportation must be content with an hour-long local bus ride from JR Tokuyama station, and Tokuyama is hardly a destination even for well-travelled Japanese tourists. Nonetheless, I dare say the visit is worth the travel or, perhaps, trouble.
For one, the visitor is likely to enjoy the serenity that is, or should be, a characteristic of Zen temples. However, such serenity is getting harder to find in Japan, as it is experiencing a booming tourism lately, and famous Zen temples are finding trooping tourists and suffering from their hubbub. For another, the visitors here are allowed to take his or her own time to view and appreciate the premises, as well as the surrounding gardens. They consist from four different and distinctive styles of garden design that evolved during the period of dynamic regime changes in Japan, which corresponds to the Middle Ages in European history.
The temple has an impressive entrance gate, called “Sanmon” in Japanese, which literally means the gate to the mountain. The naming stems from the old practice of setting up Buddhist temples in the mountain. Near this entrance gate is a pond with many colorful Japanese carp, as shown in attached pictures. Such a pond is called “hojo-chi,” in Japanese, literally meaning the pond for releasing live animals, and it has a distinctive religious role. In Buddhism, killing any living things, even small insects, is condemned. Conversely, saving the life of any living thing counts as merit toward becoming accepted in Nirvana. , i.e., the Christian equivalent of the heaven, after death. As such, releasing captured animal is widely practiced in the Buddhist world. In Southeast Asia, one finds in the access road to a Buddhist temple, many birds in their cages. They are for sale to visiting Buddhists who wish to release the bird and gain “merits.” In Japan, the practice typically takes the form of releasing Japanese carps or turtles into the temple’s hojo-chi.
That being said, it is still an anomaly for a Zen temple to embrace this practice, and this temple was established by a highly respected Zen monk of the time, i.e., late 14th century. I gather that this pond is a later addition initiated by the local people. Most of them did and probably still do belong to non-Zen sects of Buddhism, and their affiliation with this Zen temple stem from Tokugawa Shogunate’s regulation and control concerning religion. Therefore, people who came to pray wanted to do the “right thing,” by making a hojo-chi pond and augmenting their prayers with the release of carp into a pond. This supposition seems to be corroborated by the position of the pond, which is just outside the temple gate, indicating that the pond was not a part of the temple’s original design.Written November 13, 2015This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - tabigasuki08Iwakuni, Japan782 contributionsThis temple is only open on the 17th of each month. I didn't know that the first time I went and I thought it was permanently closed.
The temple is not just for ladies who are expecting, although a lot of them do come here to pray for healthy pregnancy and healthy baby. There is also an area in the back where pregnant ladies can hang handmade boobs. They write their wishes and hang them. Typically, they are wishing for good breast milk supply.
I also saw a lot of elderly people here. Some were rubbing the large stone on the right, as you enter the temple. My friend explained to me that people who have pain will rub the stone and then rub where they feel pain. If they have pain in their legs, they will rub the lower half of the stone and then rub their legs. If they have head pain, they will rub the upper part of the stone and then rub their head.
They also serve free rice and tea, which were really good.
There is parking, but this temple gets very busy since they are only open once per month.Written December 10, 2017This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - joe b4 contributionsThis place totally rocks. I can recommend Ryumonji to anyone. Long time practitioner or just curious. Beautiful setting and a nice atmosphere.Written August 10, 2021This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Kimitaka STaichung, Taiwan14,141 contributionsThis shrine is dedicated to Kodama Gentaro, army general and a hero of Japanese Russian War. In Meiji Time, it was common to construct a shrine for a defunct military person. Kodama was born in Tokuyama, today’s Shunan city, and he was also in charge of Taiwan governor. That’s why there is a stele of Taiwanese president Li Denghui in this shrine.Written March 30, 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions about Shunan
- These places are best for sacred & religious sites in Shunan:See more sacred & religious sites in Shunan on Tripadvisor