Kofukuji Temple

Kofukuji Temple (Nagasaki) is Japan’s oldest Chinese temple of the Obaku sect. Kofukuji Temple - Tōmeizan Kōfuku-ji (東明山興福寺) is Japan’s oldest and first Chinese temple of the Obaku sect. It can be traced to the time when the merchants of China’s Ming Dynasty, who frequented the route to Nagasaki, Japan, Kofukuji Temple was built in 1620, as a small monastery for the Chinese merchants and sailors of China’s Ming Dynasty, who sailed the sea to Nagasaki, Japan. Kofukuji Temple provided a place for the Chinese to pray for a safe voyage. During this period the Japanese Government had a policy of prohibition on Christianity which was harshly enforced. This lead even the Chinese residents and visitors to Nagasaki,  to prove they were Buddhists by building a series of Chinese Buddhist temples. Spectacles Bridge, Japan’s oldest stone bridge, was built by Mokusunyoujo, a second generation Zen master of Kofukuji Temple. Kofukuji Temple is also, it is famous as the temple from which the Buddhist Zen master Ingen, high priest of China, entered a monastery. The Kofukuji Temple precinct house many cultural assets including the Daiyu Treasure House, a nationally designated important cultural property. Kofukuji Temple and surroundings are a prefecturally designated historical landmark. Location: 4-32 Teramachi Hours: 08:00-17:00 Open 7 days a week throughout the year. Entrance Fee: Adults: ¥200, Aged 12-17: ¥150, Aged 6-11: ¥100 |