Chōju-ji Temple, Buddhist temple in Yamanouchi, Japan

Chōju-ji is a Rinzai Buddhist temple of the Kenchō-ji school in Yamanouchi, Kamakura. Its single-story wooden main hall has a broad gray-tiled roof with a raised ridge, a facade of pale wood panels between dark posts, and a central doorway, set on a low stone base at the end of a path with a diamond-patterned stone walkway. The grounds also hold a Shoin, a Kaisan-dō, and the Shohōjō, with a Zen garden between the main hall and abbot's residence.

The temple was founded in 1358 by Ashikaga Motouji, though earlier records suggest its establishment by Ashikaga Takauji in 1336. Its existence is closely tied to the Ashikaga family, who played a central role during Japan's feudal period.

The temple houses statues from the Muromachi period and serves as one of two memorial temples dedicated to Ashikaga Takauji. Visitors can see his burial site within a yagura structure and understand the importance this place held for his family.

The temple opens only in spring (April to June) and autumn (October to November), on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The English source gives 10 AM to 3 PM for these days. Pocket cameras are allowed, but professional and semiprofessional equipment is forbidden, so visitors are asked to come to see the buildings and statues rather than to photograph them.

The grounds contain a special hōkyōintō structure that actually preserves strands of Ashikaga Takauji's hair. This rare feature connects visitors directly to a figure from medieval Japan and makes the temple a singular historical destination.