Isshinji Temple

Introduction

Isshin-ji stands on the rise west of Shitenno-ji. In 1185 the Pure Land founder Honen built a hermitage here to practise nissokan, contemplating the western paradise while watching the sunset, and the temple grew from that. In the Edo period it became a family temple of the Tokugawa, and Ieyasu placed his headquarters here during the Winter Siege of Osaka. What sets it apart is the 'bone Buddhas': from 1887 the temple ground the ashes of devotees of every sect, mixed them with seaweed paste and moulded Amida figures, adding a new one every ten years until the remains of over two million people had become Buddha images. New figures are pale, older ones blackened by incense and candles, and seeing them side by side is striking. The entrance is equally unexpected: a steel-and-glass Nio gate designed by Takaguchi Kyogyo in 1997, with five-metre bronze guardians by Kambe Mineo and celestial reliefs. The Nisso-den beside the main hall still holds the sunset rite, while the Sonmu-do up the slope covers the siege.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info