Zojoji Temple

Here I am in front of Zojoji Temple. Jodo Shu Main Temple is a part of this magnificant shrine. It was founded in 1393 as an orthodox and fundamental nembutsu seminary for Jodo shu in the Kanto (east Japan) region. It was then relocated to Tokyo, its present site, in 1598 after Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, entered Edo (present-day Tokyo) in 1590 to establish his provincial government.



After the start of the Edo period, when the Tokugawa shogunate ruled Japan (we know them as SAMURAI), Zojoji became the family temple of the Tokugawa family and this grand cathedral was built. It also served as a governmental center. During WWII, air raids burned down much of the Zojoji Temple, but it was quickly rebuilt.