Admission
- Adult (18+)Free
At a Glance
The temple's elaborate 1:10 scale model of a shogun's mausoleum was displayed at the 1910 Japan-British Exhibition in London, then gifted to King George V and stored in the Royal Collection for over a century before returning to Zojoji in 2015.
Six Tokugawa shoguns are buried here, and the temple once covered 826,000 square meters with 48 attached temples and 3,000 resident priests—making it one of the most powerful Buddhist centers in Edo-period Japan.
Painter Kano Kazunobu spent 10 years creating 100 scrolls depicting 500 arhats' daily lives—bathing, studying, floating over hellish scenes—before dying at age 48; his wife directed a student to complete the final four scrolls.
The "Black Image" of Amida Buddha enshrined here is said to have repeatedly saved shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa from danger in battle, earning it a reputation as a victory-bringing deity still worshipped today.
Lively
Akabanebashi Station
Daimon Station
Hamamatsucho Station
Facilities
The main hall has an elevator for easy access. You can also rent wheelchairs, so feel free to ask for one.
Fascinating facts about this place
The temple's elaborate 1:10 scale model of a shogun's mausoleum was displayed at the 1910 Japan-British Exhibition in London, then gifted to King George V and stored in the Royal Collection for over a century before returning to Zojoji in 2015.
Six Tokugawa shoguns are buried here, and the temple once covered 826,000 square meters with 48 attached temples and 3,000 resident priests—making it one of the most powerful Buddhist centers in Edo-period Japan.
Painter Kano Kazunobu spent 10 years creating 100 scrolls depicting 500 arhats' daily lives—bathing, studying, floating over hellish scenes—before dying at age 48; his wife directed a student to complete the final four scrolls.
2 structures on the grounds
The first basement floor of the Daiden (Great Hall) has the Treasures Gallery, an exhibition space completed in 2015. The gallery’s centerpiece is a highly detailed 1:10 scale model of the Taitokuin Mausoleum, the original burial site of the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada (1579–1632). The mausoleum, along with many other Zojoji Temple buildings, was destroyed in the 1945 air raids.
The Black Image of Amida Buddha is enshrined in this building and was worshiped by Ieyasu Tokugawa. This image is said to have repeatedly saved Ieyasu from danger and helped him win battles. Since the Edo Period, it has been widely revered as a Buddhist image that brings victory and wards off evil.
More ways to continue from this place.
Minato, Tokyo Prefecture