Zuiō-ji, Buddhist temple in Niihama, Japan.
Zuiō-ji is a Zen Buddhist temple in Niihama, set at the base of the Shikoku Mountains, with a two-story bell gate, a drum gate, and covered corridors linking the monastic buildings. The buildings are arranged around a raked gravel courtyard in a layout typical of the Sōtō Zen tradition.
The temple was founded in 1448, during a period when Buddhist institutions were spreading across Japan. Most of the buildings standing today were rebuilt in the mid-1800s, giving the complex the layout it still has.
Zuiō-ji belongs to the Sōtō Zen sect, and trainee monks can sometimes be seen walking through city streets in winter as part of their traditional alms-seeking practice. This is a rare sight outside major monastic centers and gives the temple a living, active presence in the city.
The grounds are on Yamanechō Street in Niihama and are open to visitors as well as practitioners. Comfortable footwear helps since the visit involves walking on gravel paths and moving between several buildings.
A ginkgo tree said to be over 800 years old stands on the grounds and draws visitors in autumn when its leaves turn yellow. The complex also holds a rotating cabinet designed to store Buddhist sutras, a feature rarely seen in other temples across the region.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
