Kan'ei-ji, Buddhist temple in Ueno-Sakuragi, Tokyo, Japan
Kan'ei-ji is a Buddhist temple in Ueno-Sakuragi, a neighborhood in the Taitō ward of Tokyo. The compound includes several prayer halls and smaller sub-temples scattered across a forested site.
The monk Tenkai founded the site in 1625 under the patronage of shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu. The original compound was considerably larger and served as the family temple until the shogunate fell.
The name means Templeà ofà the Kan' ei Era andà references theà period whenà theà structure firstà opened.à Monksà inà traditional robesà walk amongà theà centuries-oldà buildings, andà visitorsà often seeà them performingà dailyà rituals orà sweepingà theà stone pathways.
The site is located about seven minutes on foot from Uguisudani Station on the JR Yamanote Line. Access is possible daily, and most areas do not require admission.
Some of the current buildings were relocated here from Kawagoe after the original compound shrank dramatically during the Meiji era. Three shogun mausoleums are designated as Important Cultural Properties and sit within the grounds.
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