Shinshō-ji

  • Site Map

Phone inquiries 084-988-1111(temple office)

    The reception desk is located at the Temple Office. Goods and souvenirs are also available for purchase.
    The Temple Office was designed and built by Fujimori Terunobu to be a symbol of Shinshō-ji.

    Shōdō (Pine Hall) Design Statement

    When first visiting this area, the Japanese red pines caught my attention. The Sanyōdō (southern mountain region) and Seto Inland Sea are some of the foremost Japanese red pine areas in the country.
    While there are various trees in Japan, the one the most closely associated with Zen is probably the pine. The image of an old tree that withstands the cold wind to grow on the top of a rocky mountain comes to mind.
    Pines are an appropriate theme for the Temple Office, which is the first building visitors encounter after entering Shinshō-ji.
    After deciding on the name "Shōdō" (Pine Hall), everything else came quickly. Attempting to evoke an old pine tree on a rocky mountain, a pine tree from a nearby mountain was planted on top of the slanted roof thatched with hand-bent copperplates.
    The surfaces of pine tree logs taken from a nearby mountain were shaved, and they were then installed as corridor pillars. The logs were lined up in a way that made use of their gentle curves, which are unique to natural wood.
    It was my aim to craft a building that has a clearly defined character yet blends into its surroundings.

    Fujimori Terunobu

    Fujimori Terunobu
    Architect, architectural historian, specially appointed professor at Kōgakuin University, professor emeritus at the University of Tōkyō, and Doctor of Engineering.
    Born in 1946 in Nagano prefecture. After completing a doctoral program in architecture at the University of Tōkyō, he served as a professor at the University of Tōkyō's Institute of Industrial Science and Kōgakuin University's Faculty of Architecture. He has numerous works to his name. They include "Akasegawa Genpei's Residence (Nira [Leek] House)" (winner of the 1997 Japan Art Award), "Kumamoto Architectural College's Student Dormitory" (winner of the Architectural Institute of Japan's 2001 Prize of AIJ for Design), and "Stork House" (in Raiding, Austria; winner of the Austrian Tourism Innovation Prize 2014). He is the author of many books on architectural history. He won the 1986 Japan Inter-Design Award for the research activities of the Tōkyō Architectural Detectives and Roadway Observation Society (An Introduction to Street Observation [Rojō kansatsu gaku nyūmon], Adventures of an Architectural Detective: Tōkyō [Kenchiku tantei no bōken Tōkyō hen], etc.), and the Prize of AIJ 1998 (Research Theses Division) for his work on architecture and urbanism in the modern age of Japan (Meiji Tōkyō Design [Meiji no Tōkyō keikaku], Japan's Modern Architecture [Nihon no kindai kenchiku] vol. 1 & 2, etc.)

    お問合わせ・お申込み

    Graveyard contact

    Contact Shinshō-ji International Zen Training Hall here

    Access

    Click here for a map

    91,Kamisanna, Numakuma-chō, Fukuyama-shi, Hiroshima-ken 720-0401 Japan
    Tomotetsu bus (direct bus, only weekend and holidays)
    Fukuyama station, bus terminal, bus stop #6, enter a bus heading for 『Miroku no Sato direct bus』 and get off at 「Shinshōji」

    Tomotetsu bus (regular bus)
    Fukuyama station, bus terminal, bus stop #6, enter a bus heading for 「Chitosebashi」,「Abuto」,「Tsuneishi」or「Utsuminyōkyō」and get off at 「Tenjinyama」. From there it is 15 minutes to walk.(We can pick you up at the 「Tenjinyama」bus stop. Please call us.)

    ※Please ask directly Tomotetsu bus for the boarding time etc.
    084-952-3100

    Sanyō Shinkansen (Bullet Train), Sanyō Main Line: 30 minutes by Tomotetsu Bus
    25 minutes from Fukuyama Station by car.
    Exit Miroku-no-sato - 3min

    Experiences and Relaxation

    Gokan-dō (Shinshō-ji udon)

    Information on the origins of and the way of eating Shinshō-ji udon.

    Gankū-in (Café)

    Enjoy green tea in an over 400 year-old thatched roof building moved to its present location from Eigen-ji.

    Bathhouse

    The bathhouse is one of the seven regular buildings of a traditional Zen temple. Visitors may take a bath there.

    About the admission fee

    About Shinshō-ji

    Shinshōji Zen Temple overview
    Introduction to Shinshōji Zen Temple (Rinzai sect Kennin-ji school)

    Temple office information
    Information on the Temple Office, designed by architect Fujimori Terunobu.

    Hibutsu-dō information
    An overview of the hall and how to use it.

    Shōshintei (Garden of the Appreciating Heart) information
    Information on Shinshō-ji's garden Shōshintei.