Shitennoji

Shitennoji is considered Osaka’s treasure for many reasons. This is known as Japan’s oldest temple, which was founded in 593. I always find these kinds of places so interesting because the U.S. doesn’t have buildings and history this old. If there’s a historical building at a place I’m visiting in Japan, I want to see it!

Shitennoji has an interesting backstory that I’d like to share. It was the first temple in Japan built by the government and the first to receive financial support. Its founder, Prince Shotoku, was an important figure in Japanese history. He played a huge role in introducing Buddhism to Japan. However, when the religion was first introduced, there were those who strongly opposed it being rooted in the country.

The pro-Buddhism group and anti-Buddhism group went to war over this disagreement. Prince Shotoku fought in this war, and after some time it was apparent that the anti-Buddhism side was much stronger. In a desperate attempt to prevail, Prince Shotoku constructed statues of the Four Heavenly Kings of Buddhism, known as Shiten-no. He prayed to these gods, and said he would build a temple to enshrine them if they granted him victory over the anti-Buddhism group.

Not long after praying, the leader of the anti-Buddhism group received a fatal blow. Just as Prince Shotoku had promised, he built a temple and named it Shitennoji.  Unfortunately, the buildings that stand today are not the original buildings. The temple endured multiple fires and had to be rebuilt several times. Most of the structures standing now are from the 1960s and 1970s but have been carefully reconstructed to mirror design in the 6th century.

The entrance to the temple is through a stone torii which is an important structure. It’s known as one of Japan’s Three Great Torii! The interesting part about this is that torii are always found at Shinto shrines, not Buddhist temples. However, people never really discerned the two religions way back when. The function of torii is to mark a sacred place and separate the mundane world from sacred grounds. The west gate (the red structure beyond the torii) is believed to be the entrance to Gokuraku jodo, which is Buddhist paradise.

After paying a small fee to enter, the first thing that caught my eye were the two main buildings. The five story pagoda (arguably the most iconic building at the temple) is said to enshrine Buddha’s ashes. Guests are free to enter and climb up the pagoda, however, photos of the interior and photos of the view at the top are not allowed. The building next to the pagoda is an extremely sacred place that houses paintings of Buddha and statues of the Shiten-no. There’s no photography allowed in this building and hats must be removed before entering. I did go inside, and the silence was unlike anything I’ve experienced. It was quite dark as well, there were only a handful of lights illuminating the statues and paintings. The atmosphere was totally different and it almost felt like I didn’t belong inside this building. There were a few people praying, so I promptly left after seeing the paintings and statues.

Doya Doya Festival

Every year on January 14th, the Doya Doya Festival is held at Shitennoji. The name “Doya Doya” is a Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of thundering footsteps. The participants of this festival consist of male high school students and occasionally teachers. This is sometimes called the “Naked Man Festival,” because the participants only wear loincloth as underwear. There are two teams that are indicated by the color of the loincloth, usually red and white. The participants are doused in ice cold water (keep in mind January is the coldest month of the year), and then the two teams race to collect paper charms that ward off evil. The team with the most charms win! Unfortunately, I had missed the festival by just a few days, but I’ve heard that it’s an energetic and competitive festival. I hope to see it one day as it sounds exciting!