Tōkōin, Buddhist temple in Toyonaka, Japan.
Tōkōin is a Buddhist temple in Toyonaka, a city just north of Osaka, with several buildings arranged around a green courtyard. The complex includes a main hall, the Seitendo Hall, and a traditional storehouse, all set within a walled enclosure.
The temple is said to have been founded in the early 9th century, linked to the Buddhist monk Saicho, who established several sites across Japan during that period. Over the centuries it was reorganized as a branch temple connected to Jotenji Temple.
The temple preserves Buddhist statues and religious objects from different periods of Japanese Buddhist art, which visitors can observe while walking through the grounds.
The grounds are easy to walk around since the buildings are close together and the paths between them are short. A visit works best in dry weather, as parts of the site are open to the sky.
The traditional storehouse on the grounds is a reminder that temples in Japan once served as community centers for surrounding villages. Buildings like this one are now rarely found in good condition next to places of worship.
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