Myoryuji Temple (Ninja Temple)

Introduction

Myoryuji is nicknamed the Ninja Temple, though no ninja ever lived here. It is a Nichiren temple relocated to the temple quarter in 1643 by Maeda Toshitsune, third lord of the Kaga domain, and in practice functioned as a fortified outpost against a possible Tokugawa attack. It looks two-storey from outside but contains four levels over seven split floors, 23 rooms and 29 staircases. The offertory box at the main entrance doubles as a trap; lifting floorboards reveals hidden stairs; corridor boards drop into step-like snares; a glazed lookout once crowned the roof to scan the Kaga plain; and a 25-metre well cut from Tonomura stone is said to have had a side tunnel running to Kanazawa Castle. The Maeda, outside lords who submitted only after Sekigahara in 1600 and held the largest domain, lived under persistent shogunal suspicion, so these devices were built to delay intruders and raise alarms. Visits require an advance phone booking and a guided tour of about 40 minutes with no free wandering, and preschool children are not admitted. The temple sits in the Teramachi temple district south of the Saigawa, 5-10 minutes from the Nishi Chaya quarter, making an easy half day.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info