Tahouin Temple

Overview

Tahōin is a temple of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism, standing in the Shimotsuma district of Shimotsuma City, Ibaraki Prefecture. Said to have originated in 1489 during the Muromachi period, it has long been known by its formal cloister name, Tahōin. Here the taut stillness characteristic of a Zen temple meets the history that lives on in the former castle town of Shimotsuma, making it an old temple that carries the tradition of seated meditation to the present day.

Highlights

• ●A Sōtō Zen temple said to trace its origins to 1489
• ●Long known by its formal cloister name, Tahōin
• ●The taut stillness distinctive of a Zen temple devoted to meditation
• ●An old temple that has walked alongside the castle town of Shimotsuma

History

Tahōin is said to have been founded in 1489, established in Shimotsuma as one of the Sōtō Zen temples that spread across the country during the Muromachi period. Ever since, local people have called it by its formal cloister name Tahōin, and it has walked alongside the town of Shimotsuma. The Sōtō school is a branch of Zen that places great value on seated meditation, and this temple too has long carried on the Zen tradition of sitting quietly and accumulating daily practice.

Map

36.1911, 139.9646 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Walk from Shimotsuma Station through the town center to Tahōin
2. 2Bow at the temple gate and take in the taut Zen stillness
3. 3Join your hands at the main hall and reflect on the Zen practice of meditation
4. 4Stroll the surroundings together with the traces of the old Shimotsuma castle town

Did you know?

💡 The suffix in (院) often refers to a subsection or sub-temple within a larger temple, but Tahōin is a case where the formal cloister name itself became the common name of the temple. Tracing the origin of the name brings the temple's founding closer to hand.

Nearby spots