Chūren-ji Temple, Buddhist temple in Tsuruoka, Japan

Chūren-ji is a Shingon Buddhist temple of the Chizan school in Ōami, Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, at the Shimekake entrance to the Dewa Sanzan pilgrimage route. Its main hall, rebuilt after a Meiji-era fire, houses a wooden statue of Dainichi Nyorai and a ceiling with paintings by Murai Sekisai and four contemporary artists. The temple's name refers to the shimenawa sacred rope once hung on its sacred cherry tree.

The temple was founded in 833 by Buddhist master Kūkai and stands directly connected to Mount Yudono's religious traditions. Over centuries, it developed into an important center for Buddhist practice and pilgrimage in the region.

The temple's name comes from shimenawa, the sacred rope hung on the shrine's cherry tree; the rope's 7-5-3 knotting gave the name Shimekake to the pilgrimage entrance. The temple was a women's worship site for Mount Yudono when women were barred from the mountain.

By car, Chūren-ji is 30 minutes from JR Tsuruoka Station, 45 minutes from Shonai Airport and 15 minutes from the Shonai-Asahi interchange. By bus, take the Yudonosan-bound service from Tsuruoka Station, get off at Ōami and walk about 20 minutes. The temple and its grounds remain open to visitors despite the 2009 landslide in the Shimosange district below the gate.

The temple houses the preserved body of a priest who underwent self-mummification through strict meditation and fasting. This ancient practice reveals the deep commitment Buddhist monks made to their spiritual goals.