Shitennō-ji Temple and Gardens
The Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings

I’m a firm believer that getting lost while traveling is not necessarily a bad thing (unless you’re in a sketchy area/in danger/etc.), and the garden I wound up in on my way to Shitennō-ji Temple is my favorite recent example of this. 

Walking an hour south from Osaka Castle, Google Maps led me through a quiet alley that ran through what I was 90% sure was a cemetery (It was – Shitennoji Cemetery). I didn’t know how many buildings there were or what exactly the entire Shitennō-ji Temple complex looked like, so when the first building I saw after exiting the alley was a temple, I just assumed I was in the right place.

But first, some context:

Shitennō-ji was originally built in 593, commissioned by Prince Shōtoku to help spread Buddhism in Japan. In fact, it is considered the oldest Buddhist temple in the country. 

The temple is dedicated to and named after the Shitenno, the four heavenly kings of Buddhism who guard the world from evil. As with (too) many other buildings around Japan, it has been burned, damaged, and rebuilt several times. The iteration you see today is from the 1960s and 70s.

Ok, back to the temple I was standing in front of.

The Gochiko-in (Temple to the Light of the Five Wisdom Tathagatas) was built as a Kanjo-do hall (empowerment hall) in 1187. It was rebuilt in 1623 by Tokugawa Hidetada and moved from its original location on the south side of the Gokuraku-mon Gate to its current location in 1901.  The memorial tablets of the Tokugawa shogunate are also enshrined here.

Gokuraku-jodo Garden, or the Garden of Paradise, is located on the far northeast corner of the temple complex. The entrance is on the right side of the Gochiko-in Temple. Admission to the Garden is 300 yen, or about $2 dollars. 

The garden was built in 1933 to both resemble and symbolize Buddhist paradise, and it was based off the parable of a path to salvation between two rivers.

The bright red and vivid oranges of the Japanese Maples erased any trace of disappointment stemming from missing the cherry blossoms. Hanami? Never heard of her.

A blue Hakkakutei (octagonal pavilion) with colorful stained-glass windows sits serenely on the east side of Paradise Lake.

The three stones in the middle of the pond represent Amida (the Pure Land Buddha) and his attendants. 

I walked past another pond and towards a short flight of steps that led me straight to the Houjou, or the abbot’s residence. The Honbo (guest hall), which currently functions as the temple offices, surrounds the Fudaraku dry rock garden.

Outside the garden and back in the main complex, there are a number of structures and buildings which are mostly free to access (just make sure to check schedules).

The Rokuji Raisan-do (Six O-Clock Prayer Hall) is located in the center of the precinct and prayers are performed here six times a day. On April 22nd, dances are performed on the Ishibutai (stone stage) located in front, in honor of Prince Shotoku.

The outer complex  is home to three Great Gates, on the west, south and east, as well as a stone Torii Gate on the west side. There are also two belfries, one on the northern edge and one in the south.

Ishiinotorii (Stone Torii Gate)

Minamiganedo (Southern Belfry)

Gokurakumon (Great West Gate)

Nandaimon (Great South Gate)

Tiger Gate

Access to the Chushin Garan (inner complex) is 300 yen, and includes the Koudou (lecture hall), Kondo (main hall), and Gojunoto (five-story pagoda). Surrounding this courtyard are a covered corridor and three gates: Saijumon (west gate), Chumon or Niomon (middle gate), and Tojumon (east gate).

The Chumon is home to two Nio, or benevolent guardians. Ungyo, on the left, represents closure or death. Agyo, on the right, symbolizes beginnings or birth.

Niomon (Middle Gate)

Dragon Well

Five-Story Pagoda, Osaka, Japan

Kondo (Main Hall)

Tojumon (East Gate)

Saijumon (West Gate)

Unfortunately, access to the pagoda was closed, and it was prayer hour at the Kondo, so I couldn’t really get pictures of the inside. And when I did go into the lecture hall, there was a sign that said “No Photography”, which I obeyed without question – only to figure out after I had left that they might have just meant “No Flash”. Which sucks because it was spectacular. Oh well.

Shitennō-ji is located at 1 Chome-11-18 Shitennoji, Tennoji Ward, Osaka, 543-0051, Japan.