Morin-ji, Buddhist temple in Tatebayashi, Japan

Morin-ji is a Sōtō Zen Buddhist temple in Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture, with the mountain name Seiryūzan. Its main hall enshrines Shakyamuni Buddha, and the grounds include a main gate and a mountain gate. The approach between the gates is lined with 21 tanuki statues, and the precinct holds a weeping cherry tree designated a city treasure in 1980 and a 600-year-old Podocarpus macrophyllus, a prefectural natural monument.

The temple was founded in 1426 by the Zen master Dairin Shōtsu of Mino Province. In 1468 Akai Masamitsu (Terumitsu), lord of Aoyagi Castle, became a devotee, donated a temple estate of 80,000 tsubo and had the temple buildings erected. It belongs to the Sōtō school, its mountain name is Seiryūzan, and its main image is Shakyamuni Buddha.

The temple houses the legendary Bunbuku tea kettle, said to have transformed into a tanuki and brought good fortune. This artifact draws visitors interested in Japanese folktales and the symbolism of transformation.

Morin-ji is about a 10-minute walk from Tobu Isesaki Line's Morinjimae Station, or roughly 4.5 km (about 15 minutes by car) from the Tatebayashi interchange on the Tohoku Expressway. The approach between the main gate and the mountain gate passes 21 tanuki statues. The temple's Bunbuku tea kettle is on view to ordinary visitors for a fee.

The temple keeps a collection of tanuki-related goods and stuffed tanuki from across Japan, displayed alongside the sacred kettle. In the grounds, a weeping cherry designated a Tatebayashi protected tree in 1980 stands before the main hall. The temple also appears in the 1963 film "Comedy: Station Front Tea Kettle" and the 2018 anime "A Place Further Than the Universe".