Mantokuji Temple

A Shingon Buddhist temple in Obama City, Fukui Prefecture. It served as a prayer temple for successive lords of the Obama Domain, including Kyogoku Takatsugu and the Sakai family, and is known for its garden designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty.

Beyond the temple gate lies a garden of overwhelming scale measuring Approx. 1,800 square meters. Built using the mountain slope, it is known as a buried-stone landscape garden, and the contrast between the white gravel in the foreground and the carefully arranged trees centered around the principal stone is striking. The view from in front of the main hall, with maple trees incorporated into the borrowed scenery, is especially impressive. Also worth seeing are the Approx. 200 maple trees, large and small, planted around the garden. In autumn, when they turn brilliant colors, the scene is spectacular and has earned a place among Japan’s 100 Best Autumn Leaf Spots. From May to June, azaleas are at their best, delighting visitors with scenery that harmonizes beautifully with the garden.

The temple’s principal image, a seated wooden Amida Nyorai statue said to date from the late Heian period, and a hanging mandala scroll displayed in the raised alcove of the shoin convey the temple’s long history and deep faith.