Anrakuji is a Buddhist temple in Kamiita, Tokushima, on the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage. It is associated with healing waters, temple lodging, and a serene historic atmosphere, and is dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai, the Medicine Buddha.
Why you should go
- This temple houses Japan's only octagonal three-story pagoda, a unique Zen-style structure from the Kamakura period covered in hinoki cypress shingles and designated a National Treasure since 1952.
- Anraku-ji's principal image is Yakushi Nyorai, the Medicine Buddha, placing healing at the center of the temple's identity.
- The temple's founder studied Zen in Song China and returned to Japan in 1246 on the same ship as Lanxi Daolong, the famous priest who established Kamakura's Kencho-ji temple.
















