Tōgyō-an Temple, Sōtō Zen temple in Shimonoseki, Japan
Tōgyō-an is a Sōtō Zen temple at the foot of a wooded hill in Shimonoseki, a branch temple of Kōzan-ji. Its dark wooden walls and sliding doors sit beneath a grey tiled roof with a curved gable edge. A white signpost with black Japanese text stands behind a low fence of vertical bamboo poles bound by horizontal rails, set into a grey metal gate frame.
Tōgyō-an is a Sōtō Zen temple and a branch temple of Kōzan-ji. The site, called Shimizuyama, held a grass hut built by Chōshū irregular-force officer Yamagata Aritomo and named Muro-an; Yamagata later gave it to Ou-no, who had served Takasugi Shinsaku. Takasugi, who died in 1867, was buried here by his own wish, and Ou-no tended his grave until her death in 1909. A major repair was carried out in 1966, and the Tōgyō Memorial Museum opened on the grounds that year.
Local worshippers visit the temple to participate in daily prayer practices and observe religious rituals throughout the year. The spaces encourage contemplation and spiritual connection, allowing visitors to witness how the community maintains its Buddhist traditions.
The temple stands at the foot of a wooded hill in Shimonoseki, with a low bamboo fence and a grey metal gate frame beside the entrance. The grounds hold the grave of Takasugi Shinsaku and the Tōgyō Memorial Museum, where the temple's seal is issued at the reception desk. The museum closed in 2010 and reopened as the Shimonoseki City Tōgyō Memorial Museum.
Yamagata Aritomo built a thatched hut here named Muryō-an; he later gave it to Ōno, Takasugi Shinsaku's lover, who became a nun and tended Shinsaku's grave on this site until her death in 1909. Yamagata's later Kyoto villa took the same name in reference to this Shimonoseki hut.
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