Sōji-ji Temple, Buddhist temple in Tsurumi district, Yokohama, Japan
Sōji-ji is a large temple complex in Tsurumi district, Yokohama, with main buildings of dark wood and wide gravel courtyards between the structures. The grounds hold meditation halls, living quarters for monks, and a tall two-story gate at the main entrance.
The temple began in 740 as Morooka-dera on the Noto Peninsula and later became the head site of an important Zen school. After a fire in 1898, it moved to its present location in Yokohama, where new buildings rose from 1911 onward.
The temple's name is written 總持寺, and its mountain name Shogakuzan comes from the former Shogaku Kannon Hall on the Noto Peninsula. Each February 3 the Setsubun rite is held with only the cry "Fuku wa uchi" (fortune within), since the temple holds no demons. The July Mitama festival began in 1947 as a memorial for victims of the Yokohama air raids and the Tsurumi rail accident.
Sessions for meditation and guided visits in English are offered on certain days and should be reserved in advance. The complex sits about 15 minutes on foot from JR Tsurumi or Keikyu Tsurumi stations, and visitors should wear quiet clothing that covers shoulders and knees.
The Sanmon gate, completed in 1969, is described in the temple's pamphlet as the largest structure of its kind in Japan. Its two guardian figures are said to have been modelled on the 15-year-old future yokozuna Kitanoumi. The gate's upper floor enshrines Kannon and Jizō bodhisattva statues with sixteen arhats and four heavenly kings.
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