Hongan-ji Sapporo Betsuin, Buddhist temple in Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Japan
Hongan-ji Sapporo Betsuin is a Jodo Shinshu Hongan-ji-ha temple in Chuo-ku, Sapporo, at North 3 West 19. It moved to this site in 1952, on the grounds of the former Sapporo Second Middle School, which had burned down, and its hall was built in reinforced concrete rather than wood. The compound also houses the Hokkaido district office of the school and the affiliated Sapporo Ryukoku Gakuen High School next door to the north.
Hongan-ji Sapporo Betsuin originated as a Nishi Hongan-ji outpost in Ishikari Province during the Ansei era, first sited in what is now Susukino and known as Susukino Betsuin. In 1952 it moved to its present location on the former grounds of Sapporo Second Middle School, which had burned down, and built a reinforced-concrete hall. In 1954 Sapporo Girls' High School, now Sapporo Ryukoku Gakuen, opened on the adjacent lot to the north.
The temple serves as a gathering place for followers of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in Sapporo, where regular ceremonies reflect the living religious practices of the local community. Visitors can observe how Buddhist traditions remain integrated into the city's daily life.
The temple is located in central Sapporo and opens daily for visitors to walk the grounds and observe religious activities. It is useful to check ahead for times when morning services or special ceremonies are being held.
In 2001 it emerged that the temple's columbarium held the remains of more than 100 Korean and Chinese wartime labourers, many deposited by the general contractor Chizaki-gumi, whose head was a temple trustee; the bones have been linked to forced labour, and no return to families has been reported.
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