Shōfuku-ji Temple, Buddhist temple in Higashimurayama, Japan.
Shōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple in Higashimurayama housing a Jizo Hall designed in traditional Zen architectural style. The structure displays classic Japanese craftsmanship with a hip-and-gable roof and wooden construction methods.
Shōfuku-ji was founded in 1270 during the Kamakura period, with official patronage from the Kamakura shogunate. The Jizō hall was rebuilt in 1407, as confirmed by an ink inscription found during repairs in 1933. The hall was designated a National Treasure on March 29, 1952.
The temple's name means "Temple of the Correct Fortune." A local healing tradition surrounds the hall: wooden dolls kept outside are taken to a sick person's home, and once the person recovers, the original doll plus a new one are returned to the temple.
The temple sits along the Kamakura Highway and its exterior remains open for daily visits. The interior opens only once yearly during the Jizo Festival, so check the dates ahead of your visit.
The Jōwa no Itabi, a stone memorial tablet in the temple grounds, is among the largest of its kind in Tokyo. It was reused as a bridge girder over the Maekawa, a small river near the present-day Citizen Plaza, before being moved here. Similar tablets are kept at nearby Tokuzō-ji.
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