This Nichiren Shu temple was built in 1643 by Maeda Toshitsune, the third lord of the Kaga Domain, from a prayer hall near Kanazawa Castle. Because of its Dejiro (outlying castle) to fortify the main castle in case of emergency, the entire building has a complex structure, with hidden stairs, rooms, and pits everywhere to scare off enemies. A statue of Niczou Shonin, a Houson (a follower of Buddhism) of Nichiren Shonin, is enshrined here.
At the time of the temple's construction, the Kaga clan was under the watchful eye of the Tokugawa Shogunate as TOZAMA-DAIMYO (an outlying feudal lord) boasting one million Koku(about 60billion yen), so it was necessary always to be ready to intercept the Shogunate's armies. Therefore, the two rivers that flank Kanazawa Castle was made to look like a natural moat, and a group of temples were relocated to the outside of the two rivers. A group of temples was relocated to the outside of the two rivers, and a system was set up to intercept Kanazawa Castle before it could be attacked.
Myoryuji Temple, which had a strong role as the Dejiro (outlying castle), is now known as the "Ninja Temple" because of its labyrinth-like structure.
Due to the complex structure of the interior, tours are available only with a guide. The tour will explain in detail the mechanisms that are difficult to understand at first glance, such as a pit hole embedded under the floor, a staircase that appears when the floorboards are rolled up, and a lighted door that reflects the footprints of foreign enemies, as you tour the hall.
Highlights
-
Tours are available every 30 minutes to an hour daily. The tour takes about 40 minutes and reservations are required.
-
Tours and guided tours are available only in Japanese. Interpretation is not permitted in the hall.
-
The tour is available for elementary school students and older. *conforms to the Japanese school attendance standards.
