In spring we spent several months in Japan researching for a guidebook update – and still found some (unexpected) highglights like the Zuiryuji Temple in Takaoka. The Zuiryuji Temple is a peaceful Zen temple, designated as a National treasure in Japan.
Takaoka in the Hokuriku area of central Honshu – a starting point for the remote Noto peninsula – is not exactly a fixture on the tourist route. Not yet. But for visitors willing to venture off-the-beaten path, Takaoka has some interesting sights to offer, like another Daibutsu (large Buddha statue), a manga museum and an old merchant quarter.
Zuiryuji Temple, a political statement of the Maeda Daimyo
Zuiryuji, a 17th century Soto Zen temple, is very classy and majestic, with an atmosphere not unlike that of famous Eiheiji – but it’s only minutes from the Shinkansen station by bicycle. The bicycle is the best mode of transportation in Takaoka and you can easily rent one at the station.
It was the mighty Daimyo of nearby Kaga – today’s Kanazawa – who built the Zuiryuji Temple around 1650. Maeda Toshitsune was the third lord of the Maeda clan to rule in Kaga. He wanted to build a temple to honour his older brother Maeda Toshinaga who had adopted him. However, it took two decades to finish the temple. So, you can expect some splendour even in an austere Zen temple! After all, Toshinaga was the man who had become the richest Daimyo of all Japan, famously with an income of more than one million koku rice. A Daimyo’s income was quantified in rice rather than currency. One “koku” of rice equated to the amount needed to sustain one adult man for one year.
Feeling like insiders at Zuiryuji Temple
As it happened, we picked just those few hours when there was a downpour for our research in Takaoka. With limited time, we resorted to using rental bicycles to navigate the city, umbrella in hand (a very Japanese way).
As for Zuiryuji, the rain only added to the atmosphere. The huge old temple is a working Zen temple, and although you can pay a moderate entrance fee to visit, there are rarely any visitors. And on a rainy day we were the only ones. It almost felt like being there for a spiritual internship! We could look into the zazen room with long rows of tatami mats. The typical thick and round zazen seat cushions were stacked in their own rack.
The fish in the temple
And in one of the corridors we detected the wooden board in the shape of a fish. You can see the dent in the board from a hammer. That’s because they use it as a gong to call the monks to dinner time. The fish shape supposedly is a good omen for the kitchen wing: Since it is surrounded by water, it will prevent the kitchen from catching fire! But it is also used to summon the monks for meditation.
The ball in its mouth represents the worldly desires, which the fish releases and exhales when one strikes it on the side. The fish in the Zuiryuji Temple has already a deep dent from striking it many, many times. In Japanese this kind of wooden fish is called a “fishboard” (gyoban 魚板).
In one of the halls, we enjoyed a lovely bowl of Japanese green tea. Sitting on the tatami floor, we wished we had more time to engage in Zen meditation in this tranquil atmosphere.
Would you like to visit the Zuiryuji Temple in Takaoka on your next visit to Japan?
NB: We had no sponsoring for our trip to Zuiryuji Temple in Takaoka. We paid all expenses ourselves. The Takaoka excursion was part of our guidebook research for our Stefan Loose Japan travel guide. For qualified purchases of books we link to from this blog we may earn a commission.
Never miss a new post! Get notifications about new posts straight into your inbox!
You can keep this on Pinterest:
