Kan'ei-ji Temple

Kan'ei-ji Temple

Kan'ei-ji Temple is located in Ueno, Taito Ward, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It serves as the head temple of the Tendai sect in the Kantō region and primarily enshrines Yakushi Nyorai (the Buddha of Healing). The temple houses three wooden statues of Yakushi Nyorai, which have been designated as Important Cultural Properties by the Japanese government. Founded by Tokugawa Iemitsu and constructed in 1625 by its first head priest, Tenkai, it is called Kan'ei-ji because its construction began during the Kan'ei era.

Kan'ei-ji Temple was once one of the largest temples in the Tokyo area, with its grounds stretching from present-day Shinobazu Pond all the way to the Ueno Station area. Under the protection of the Tokugawa shogunate, it wielded considerable power. Most of what is now Ueno Park, as well as nearly all areas of the Tokyo University of the Arts’ Faculty of Fine Arts and Faculty of Music, were formerly part of Kan'ei-ji’s temple complex. In 1868, the Boshin War’s Ueno Battle damaged the temple severely, and most of its buildings were burned down. Only a few structures survived, including Bentendo Pavilion in Shinobazu Pond within Ueno Park, Kiyomizu Kannon Hall in Ueno Park, the bell tower, the former Omotemon gate, the five-story pagoda in Ueno Zoo, the Main Hall (Konponchudo) and the Shoin study hall located north of the Tokyo University of the Arts. Visitors can only imagine the temple’s former glory through these surviving buildings.

Kan'ei-ji

Must-visit reason: The largest temple in Tokyo’s history

Continent where the attraction is located: Asia【Asia】

Country/region where the attraction is located: Japan[Japan]

Province/state where the attraction is located: Tokyo Metropolis [Tokyo Metropolis]

City where the attraction is located: Taito Ward [Taitō]