Temple · Ikegami

Ikegami Honmon-ji 池上本門寺

The hilltop temple where Nichiren died in 1282, reached by 96 steep stone steps, with Tokyo's oldest five-storey pagoda (1608) and a great October lantern festival.

HoursGrounds open daily

ClosedOpen daily

PriceFree

Getting thereIkegami Station (Tokyu Ikegami Line), 10 min; Nishi-Magome Station (Asakusa Line), 12 min

Time needed1–1.5 hours

Best timeOctober 11–13 Oeshiki; February plums

Address1-1-1 Ikegami, Ota City, Tokyo

Websitehonmonji.jp

About

Ikegami Honmon-ji is the head temple of the Nichiren sect and one of the most important religious sites in south Tokyo, yet visitors are almost all Japanese. Climb the 96 stone steps of the Shikaku-zaka, said to have been donated by Kato Kiyomasa, to a broad hilltop of halls, graves of famous figures (including sumo wrestler Rikidozan) and the Edo-period five-storey pagoda, the oldest surviving in the Kanto region. Each October 11–13 the Oeshiki festival brings hundreds of thousands and parades of flower-decked lanterns through the night. The Ikegami Baien plum garden and old kuzumochi shops are nearby.

Highlights

96-step stone stairway to the hilltop
1608 five-storey pagoda, the oldest in Kanto
Oeshiki lantern festival every October 11–13
Graves including wrestler Rikidozan
Kuzumochi sweet shops along the approach

Tips

Try kuzumochi at Asaba or Ikegami's traditional shops on the approach
Visit the Ikegami Baien plum garden in February
During Oeshiki, the night of the 12th is the climax

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

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Ikegami Honmon-ji 池上本門寺

About

Highlights

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