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Japan

Kuon-ji

Buddhist temple House of prayer Place of worship

Kuon-ji, Buddhist temple in Minobu, Japan.

Description

Kuon-ji is a Buddhist temple on Mount Minobu in Japan and features a five-story pagoda along with a main hall decorated with dragon paintings. Around 287 stone steps lead from the entrance gate up to the heart of the compound.

History

In 1274 the monk Nichiren and regional lord Nanbu Sanenaga founded the temple at this site. The compound later developed into the headquarters of the Nichiren school in Japan.

Culture

The name comes from a phrase in the Lotus Sutra and means eternal origins. The compound on Mount Minobu is now home to monks and visited by pilgrims who bow before Nichiren's relics.

Practical

A bus from Shinjuku in Tokyo brings visitors here in about three and a half hours, after which you can walk up the steps or take the cable car. Climbing the stairs takes around half an hour and offers stopping points along the way.

Did you know?

Each morning around 60 monks gather for prayer and strike the temple bell, which guests outside can observe. The museum within the temple compound holds around 5,000 items, including paintings from the Heian period and the Southern Song dynasty.

Location

Minobu

Inception

1274

Founders

Nichiren, Nanbu Sanenaga

Part of

Kai Hyakuhachi Reijō

Address

山梨県南巨摩郡身延町身延3567

Phone

+81556621011

Website

https://kuonji.jp/english

GPS coordinates

35.38192,138.42484

Latest update

December 13, 2025 16:48

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