Zojo-ji Temple

Zojo-ji is the head temple of the Jodo-shu (Pure Land) sect, located in Shiba Park, Minato Ward, Tokyo. Its principal image is Amida Nyorai (Amitabha Buddha). The temple was founded in 1393 CE (Meitoku 4) by the monk Usho Shoso in the area of Kaiduka, Musashi Province (present-day Kioicho, Chiyoda Ward). Tokugawa Ieyasu visited the temple by chance upon entering Edo in 1590 CE (Tensho 18), which established it as the family temple of the Tokugawa clan. In 1598 CE (Keicho 3), the temple was relocated to its current site. Throughout the Edo period, it flourished alongside Kan'e-ji as the principal family temple of the Shogunate. The mausoleums of the Tokugawa family contain the remains of six shoguns: the 2nd Hidetada, the 6th Ienobu, the 7th Ieharu, the 9th Ieharu, the 12th Ieyoshi, and the 14th Iemochi. The Sanjodo-mon (Three Gates of Liberation), built in 1622 CE (Genroku 8), is a designated Important Cultural Property and a rare surviving structure from the early Edo period that escaped wartime destruction. The temple is also well-known for its scenic view juxtaposed with the adjacent Tokyo Tower.