Temple · Nakayama (Ichikawa)
Nakayama Hokekyo-ji 中山法華経寺
A head temple of Nichiren Buddhism founded in 1260, with a 31 m vermilion five-storey pagoda, a rare double-gabled Founders Hall and a treasure house holding Nichirens own handwritten Rissho Ankoku-ron, a National Treasure.
About
Nakayama Hokekyo-ji is one of the great Nichiren temples of the Kanto plain, yet it sits in a quiet residential pocket of Ichikawa a short walk from Shimosa-Nakayama Station. You enter along a sando lined with old shops and pass under the black Kuromon and red Niomon gates into a sprawling precinct of halls, sub-temples and cemeteries. The Soshido (Founders Hall, 1678) has a unique hiyoku-irimoya roof with two parallel ridges, the only one of its kind among Nichiren founder halls, and was fully restored in the 1990s; the five-storey pagoda (1622), the Hokkedo and the Shiashimon gate are all Important Cultural Properties. The Indian-style Shogyoden treasure house stores Nichirens original manuscripts of Rissho Ankoku-ron and Kanjin Honzon-sho, both National Treasures (shown only on special occasions). From 1 November to 10 February monks undertake the famous 100-day Aragyo winter austerities at the Onju-in sub-temple, pouring cold water over themselves several times a day, and you may hear their chanting from outside.
Highlights
- 31 m vermilion five-storey pagoda from 1622
- Soshido Founders Hall with a rare double-ridged hiyoku-irimoya roof
- Indian-style Shogyoden treasure house holding two National Treasure manuscripts by Nichiren
- Long temple-town approach with the Kuromon and Niomon gates
- Aragyo 100-day winter austerities (1 Nov to 10 Feb) at Onju-in
Tips
- Walk from JR Shimosa-Nakayama Station (Sobu local line) along the sando; Keisei Nakayama Station is equally close.
- The grounds are free and quiet on weekdays; Setsubun (3 Feb) brings celebrity bean-throwing and big crowds.
- Combine with the Higashiyama Kaii Memorial Hall, about 10 minutes walk west.
- The precinct is large; allow time for the hillside sub-temples and the cemetery views.
Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09
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