Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple

Ikegami Honmon-ji is a head temple of the Nichiren sect in Ikegami, Ota Ward, Tokyo. Its formal name is Chorozan Daikokuin Honmon-ji. In 1282 Nichiren left Mount Minobu and stayed at the residence of Ikegami Munenaka, where he died on October 13. The temple has long drawn worshippers as the place of his death.

Nichiren reached Munenaka's home in September of that year on his way to a hot spring and spent his last weeks there. Munenaka donated land equal to the number of characters in the Lotus Sutra, which is why the temple is called Honmon-ji. His disciple Nichiro later took over the temple, and warrior families such as Kato Kiyomasa and the Kii Tokugawa family supported it. Air raids in 1945 destroyed most buildings, but the five-storey pagoda, the main gate, the sutra repository and the treasure pagoda survived; the rest were rebuilt after the war.

One highlight is the five-storey pagoda, about 31.8 m tall. Built in 1608 and later moved to its present site, it is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property and was dismantled and repaired in 2002-2003. The approach includes a flight of 96 stone steps called Shikyo-nanji-zaka, leading up to the wide grounds. The Daido hall was rebuilt in reinforced concrete in 1964 and houses statues of Nichiren and two disciples; the ceiling painting of its outer sanctuary was commissioned from Kawabata Ryushi. The Somon gate dates from the Genroku era, and its plaque is a copy of one attributed to Hon'ami Koetsu. The treasure pagoda, built in 1828 on the traditional site of Nichiren's cremation, is also an Important Cultural Property.

The wrestler Rikidozan is buried here, as are the writer Koda Rohan and the kabuki actor Matsumoto Hakuo I. The largest event is Oeshiki on October 11-13, honoring Nichiren's death; the lantern procession on the night of the 12th is said to draw about 300,000 visitors. Setsubun bean-throwing often features wrestlers and martial artists.

From Ikegami Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line it is about 10 minutes on foot; from the south exit of Nishi-Magome Station on the Toei Asakusa Line, about 12 minutes; from the Honmonji-mae bus stop, about 5 minutes. The grounds are large, so allow one to one and a half hours. Nearby are Shinagawa Shrine (about 5.4 km) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum (about 6.6 km).