Temple · Tennoji

Isshinji Temple 一心寺

A temple like no other: its Buddhas are made from the cremated ashes of hundreds of thousands of people, and its gate is guarded by muscular bronze Nio statues under a steel-and-glass roof.

About

Isshinji, a Pure Land temple founded in 1185 by the monk Honen, became famous in the 19th century for accepting ashes from anyone regardless of sect or wealth. Every ten years the accumulated remains are mixed into a statue called an okotsu-butsu (bone Buddha); fourteen have been made since 1887, and those surviving the war (plus newer ones) are displayed in the Nokotsu-do hall, where families pray before the figure that holds their relatives. The 1997 Sanmon gate is just as striking: a modern design by the temples abbot, an architect, with a pair of bronze Nio guardian statues whose sleek, muscular modern style is a startling contrast to the traditional wooden guardians of other temples. The temple is lively at the equinox (higan) and Obon, when Osaka families come to pray, and it is a short walk from Shitennoji and Tennoji Park.

Highlights

• Okotsu-butsu: Buddha statues made from the ashes of the dead, one every ten years
• Ultra-modern 1997 gate with bronze Nio guardian statues
• A living temple where Osaka families pray for ancestors daily
• Free, steps from Tennoji Park and Shitennoji

Tips

• Be respectful inside the Nokotsu-do: this is an active place of mourning, so photograph only the gate and grounds.
• Busiest during the spring and autumn equinox weeks and Obon in mid-August.
• Combine with Shitennoji and the Tennoji temple town on foot.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Kiyomizu-dera (Osaka)Temple · 240 m away
• Osaka City Museum of Fine ArtsArt & Exhibits · 330 m away
• Tower Knives OsakaUnique Store · 340 m away
• Tennoji ZooZoo & Aquarium · 350 m away
• Tennoji Park and Keitakuen GardenPark · 380 m away
• ShinsekaiLandmark & Tower · 390 m away
• Tsutenkaku TowerLandmark & Tower · 420 m away
• Billiken (Tsutenkaku)Statue & Monument · 420 m away