ABOUT
About this spot
Zojo-ji is a Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhist temple in Shibakoen, Minato City, Tokyo. Its principal image is Amida Nyorai. Long known as the family temple of the Tokugawa shoguns, it offers one of Tokyo's iconic views, with Tokyo Tower rising behind the main hall. The temple traces its origins to Komyo-ji, said to have been founded in the 9th century. In 1393 the priest Seicho Shoei converted it from Shingon to Jodo and renamed it Zojo-ji. After Tokugawa Ieyasu met the twelfth head priest in 1590, the temple became the Tokugawa family temple, and in 1598 it was moved to its present site in Shiba. The Sangedatsumon gate is an Important Cultural Property, a two-story gate built in 1622 that survived the wartime destruction; it houses statues of the Shaka Triad and the sixteen arhats. According to the temple, the gate is scheduled for restoration work from January 2025 to June 2032, so please check the latest status before visiting. The main hall (Daiden) was rebuilt in 1974 and re-dedicated in 2021 with titanium roof tiles. Ankokuden, rebuilt in 2011, enshrines the hidden image Kuro Honzon, associated with Ieyasu. The bell tower holds a great bell cast in 1673, counted among the three famous bells of Edo. The Tokugawa Shogun family graves hold six shoguns: Hidetada, Ienobu, Ietsugu, Ieshige, Ieyoshi and Iemochi. Much of the temple was destroyed in the 1945 air raids. When Tokyo Tower was built, the temple gave part of its cemetery land. Spring cherry blossoms and clear days are ideal. Allow 30 to 60 minutes. Tokyo Tower is about 300 m away, and Onarimon Station on the Toei Mita Line is a 3-minute walk.
Last updated October 24, 2026