Kyakuden of Shomonji Temple

Kakujusan Shomonji Temple was originally founded as a temple of Esoteric Buddhism in 1487 (the first year of the Entoku era) and was then known as Koyasusan Shomonji Temple. In 1596 (the first year of the Keicho era), it was relocated to Teramachi and the name was changed to Kakujusan. Since then, it has served as a Zen Buddhist temple and has been passing on the essence of Zen meditation. There is a record that during the Edo period, the temple received an official vermilion seal from the shogunate for its temple land of seven koku. From this, we can infer that the temple has a long and profound history. In 1969 (the 44th year of the Showa era), in cooperation with the land readjustment project of Hachioji City, the temple buildings and more than 500 graves were moved to the current location in Katakura, Hachioji City, and it has continued to this day. Kyakuden was constructed to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the founding of Shomonji Temple, and its plan is designed to make the most of the lush green environment. In addition to its function as a guest hall, careful consideration has been given to the lighting plan and other aspects to make it possible to hold Zen meditation sessions.