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Location: Yamaguchi
Current status: Open now
Goshuin: Goshuin
Rurikoji is a historic Zen Buddhist temple in Yamaguchi City, renowned for its exquisite fivestory pagoda, one of Japan's three finest. Built in the early 15th century, the temple sits amid a serene garden, reflecting the cultural flourishing of the Ouchi...
Why you should go
- The five-story pagoda here ranks among Japan's three finest and has survived over 600 years without a single nail, relying entirely on interlocking wooden joints that flex during earthquakes.
- Built in the early 1400s during the Ouchi clan's golden age, this pagoda reflects when Yamaguchi rivaled Kyoto as a center of culture and was called the 'Kyoto of the West.'
- The temple garden's pond perfectly mirrors the pagoda's reflection, a design technique the Ouchi clan borrowed from Zen temples in Ming Dynasty China during their active trade period.
