Temple · Nishiarai

Nishiarai Daishi (Sozenji) 西新井大師（總持寺）

A grand Shingon temple in Adachi said to have been founded by Kukai in 826, with a famed peony garden, a salt-covered Jizo, and kusa-dango shops lining the approach.

About

Nishiarai Daishi, officially Sozenji, is one of the Kanto region's three great "Daishi" temples devoted to Kobo Daishi (Kukai), who according to legend dug a well here to stop an epidemic, giving the area its name, "new well to the west". Its grounds hold a big main hall, a stately sanmon gate, a pond, and the Shio-jizo, a stone Jizo statue buried in salt left by worshippers praying for relief from warts and skin ailments. In late April the peony garden blooms with about 100 varieties, and the New Year and Setsubun crowds are huge, but on normal days the precinct is spacious and local. The approach is lined with old shops selling kusa-dango (mugwort rice dumplings) and Daishi sweets, a tradition dating back generations.

Highlights

• Temple founded, by tradition, by Kukai in 826
• Shio-jizo, a statue covered in offerings of salt
• Peony garden with about 100 varieties in late April
• Approach lined with kusa-dango (mugwort dumpling) shops
• Big Setsubun and New Year festivals

Tips

• Ride the one-stop Tobu Daishi Line shuttle from Nishiarai to Daishimae for the classic approach.
• Buy kusa-dango at one of the shops by the gate, they are best fresh.
• Peony season (late April) and Wisteria (early May) are the prettiest times.
• The 21st of each month is an ennichi day with stalls.

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

Nearby

• Don Quijote Nishiarai EkimaeUnique Store · 950 m away
• Don Quijote TakenotsukaUnique Store · 2.1 km away
• Toneri ParkPark · 2.2 km away
• Adachi City Hall Observation RoomPhoto Spot · 2.3 km away
• MEGA Don Quijote Kannana UmejimaUnique Store · 2.3 km away
• Motofuchie ParkPark · 2.7 km away
• Arakawa YuenLocal Secret · 3.5 km away
• Kita-Senju Shukuba-machi StreetPhoto Spot · 3.6 km away