Dentoin Temple

Overview

Dentoin Temple is a Jodo sect temple located on a hilltop in Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. Its formal name is Muryozan Dentoin Jukyoji Temple. Founded in 1415 during the Muromachi period by Shokyo, the seventh patriarch of the Jodo sect, it became the family temple of the Tokugawa shogunate after the burial of the remains of Odai-no-kata, the mother of Tokugawa Ieyasu. During the Edo period, it boasted many halls, pagodas, and a school, becoming the second most important Tokugawa shogunate family temple after Zojoji Temple. Many women and children (boys) associated with the Tokugawa clan are buried on the temple grounds, testament to the shogunate's deep devotion. During the Edo period, it also served as a danrin (Buddhist seminary), where many Buddhist scholars practiced. Today, it remains a tranquil and serene temple where visitors can sense the weight of history. Dentoin Temple has long been cherished as one of Edo's three sacred mountains. Why not take a stroll through its peaceful grounds, soak in the history, and enjoy a moment of tranquility?