Gokuraku-ji, Buddhist temple in Kinosaki Onsen, Japan.
Gokuraku-ji is a Buddhist temple situated on a mountainous slope at the western edge of Kinosaki Onsen, featuring traditional architectural elements. The main hall stands as the centerpiece, with wooden structures and typical temple details throughout the grounds.
Founded around the Ōei era (1394–1427) by the Zen master Kinzan Myōshō, Gokuraku-ji later declined and was revived in the Kan'ei era by the monk Takuan Sōhō, who visited for the hot springs. In the Keian era (1648–1651) it received protection from the lord of Toyooka Castle. The main hall burned in 1912 and was rebuilt in 1921; the mountain gate was designated a Kinosaki town cultural property on 4 May 1983.
The temple belongs to the Rinzai-shū Daitoku-ji school and honours Amida Nyorai as its principal image. In the grounds stands a Hokke-ji-style hall, the Benten-dō, and a Kōshin-dō where the warrior Ushida Kanesuke is said to have lodged. A stone Jizō statue, the Isshō Jizō-son, was erected in 1769.
Gokuraku-ji is about a 15-minute walk from JR Kinosaki Onsen Station on the San'in Main Line. The temple stands in the southwest corner of the hot-spring district, and the approach on foot climbs to the hillside halls.
The temple's stone garden, Seikantei, is a dry-landscape garden of raked gravel and arranged stones. Near it, the Dokko-sui spring is credited to Dochi Shonin, the founder of Kinosaki Onsen, who is said to have discovered the water. The temple's main hall burned in 1912 and the present building dates from 1921.
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