Zuiryuji Temple (Toyama Prefecture)

It is the family temple of Maeda Toshinaga, the second lord of the Kaga domain, and was built over a 20-year period by Toshitsune, the third lord of the domain, until 1663. The temple has many highlights, including lead roof tiles covering the roof of the Butsuden (Buddha hall), which is said to weigh 47 tons in total, and the Hatto (Dhama Hall), where the ceiling is decorated with Kano Yasunobu's paintings of hundreds of flowers. The temple is a valuable structure that represents Zen temple architecture from the early Edo period (1603-1868). Sanmon (high gate), Butsuden (Buddha hall), and Hatto are national treasures, while Somon (main gate), Zendo (meditation hall), Daikuri (large kitchen-residence), corridor, and Daichado (large tea house) are designated national important cultural properties.

The Somon, the Sanmon, the Butsuden, and the Hatto are all in a straight line, and the halls are symmetrically laid out with corridors on the left and right sides, which was inspired by Chinese temple architecture brought to Japan during the Kamakura period (1185-1333). It was designed by Yamakami Zen'emon Yoshihiro, a master architect who worked as the Maeda family's architect and created many masterpieces. There were seven halls at the time, with the eastern office on the Zendo side and the bathhouse on the Daikuri side, but only five halls remain today because they were dismantled during the Meiji period.

Shaka Nyorai, the main deity, is enshrined in the center of the zelkova Butsuden, flanked by Monju Bosatsu (Manjusri) and Fugen Bosatsu (Samantabhadra), while Maeda Toshinaga's tablets are enshrined in the Kyakuden Shoin-style Hatto. The guardian deity Ususama Myoo (Ucchusma) enshrined in the east office and a standing statue of Idaten, said to have been created by Han Dosei, a Chinese Buddhist priest of Obaku descent, are also not to be missed. Every year, the temple also hosts a seasonal lighting event in which the national treasures are fantastically illuminated in the dark of night.