Zuio-ji

A large, mountain monastery of the Soto Zen sect

Anonymous Dec 12, 2016 - 1 min read

The entrance gate to the main halls of the monastery

The forest around the grounds is quiet and serene

A large graveyard is situated along the hillside to the east of the monastery

The stones of the entrance were slick with rain

Artisticly stunning door ornamention surrounding the ring pulls

Looking outside from within one of the buildings

The courtyard is filled with the scent of incense and the sound of the ringing bells

The quiet temple grounds are surrounded by trees

There are many smaller temple buildings around the grounds

Zuio Temple, or Zuio-ji (瑞応寺), is a Soto Zen monastery in Niihama City. There are many monks training and studying at the temple. The buildings are cleverly connected through raised walkways and ground level paths so that one can walk between all of them from inside without shoes or outside with shoes. The gravel in the courtyard has lined designs in the Zen rock garden style. They also host free meditation for lay people and have easy-to-read scripts for the chanting and sutra reading portions of the meditation. It is also possible to stay at the temple for the modest fee of ¥3000 a night.

Anonymous @bret.de.colebi__archived

I am a Seattle native, settled here on Shikoku these last few years. Love Japanese food, hiking, camping, swimming, and taking photos of this beautiful corner of the world!