Honmon-ji, Buddhist temple in Mitoyo, Japan
Honmon-ji is a Buddhist temple in Mitoyo featuring traditional Japanese architecture with a spacious main hall and a large Sanmon gate structure at its entrance. The buildings follow classic temple design with wooden construction and refined proportions.
Akiyama Yasutada, a follower from Kai, had the monk Nichika found a temple in 1289 in Marugame; it burned down and was rebuilt at Shimotakase in 1323 with Nissen as founder. In 1647 the temple was forced to rename itself Hokke-ji and become a branch of Kitayama Honmon-ji. It joined the Nichirenshu Komon-ha in 1876, left Nichiren-shu in 1946 and returned to Nichiren Shoshu.
Locals call the temple Daisan, or "the great hall," and its annual fair, the Daisan-ichi, runs from 22 to 25 November. The Oeshiki ceremony on 22–23 November marks the anniversary of Nichiren's death, and on 7 January a memorial service and grave visit honour the founder Nichisen, whose tomb stands in the Nakano-bo cemetery.
The temple is located along Kagawa Prefectural Road 220 and can be reached through the Shimotakase district. Visitors will find the temple grounds are spacious with multiple areas to explore throughout the complex.
The temple is nicknamed Dābō-san, and the former name of JR Minō Station was Takase-Dābō Station, taken from the temple. Its Sanmon gate dates from 1748, and the bell tower, built in 1887, holds a bell called Kuon no Bonshō.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,838 contributors worldwide.