Ryōzen-ji Temple

Overview

Ryōzen-ji is a temple of the Soto Zen school, affiliated with the Eihei-ji lineage, located in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture. Its mountain name is Tosotsurin. While the temple's name is formally read 'Ryōzenji,' locally the reading 'Reizanji' is far more common.

Highlights

• ●A Soto Zen temple of the Eihei-ji lineage, with the mountain name Tosotsurin
• ●Formally read 'Ryōzenji'
• ●Locally known by the more common reading 'Reizanji'
• ●The 'Reizanji' reading also used for the nearby Tokai Bus stop

History

Ryōzen-ji belongs to the Soto Zen school's Eihei-ji lineage and carries the mountain name Tosotsurin. Although its formal reading is 'Ryōzenji,' the local pronunciation 'Reizanji' is used more widely, and even the Tokai Bus stop serving the temple is signposted as 'Reizanji.' A cave on the grounds of a nearby shrine is also known by this same 'Reizanji' reading.

Map

35.0936, 138.8711 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Take a Tokai Bus from central Numazu toward the stop named 'Reizanji'
2. 2Enter the grounds of Ryōzen-ji, a Soto Zen temple carrying the mountain name Tosotsurin
3. 3Notice the gap between the formal reading 'Ryōzenji' and the local usage 'Reizanji'
4. 4Take a look at the nearby shrine's cave, which shares this same 'Reizanji' reading

Did you know?

💡 Although Ryōzen-ji is formally read 'Ryōzenji,' locals more commonly use the reading 'Reizanji,' which even appears in the name of the nearby Tokai Bus stop. A cave within a nearby shrine's grounds is also referred to using this same 'Reizanji' reading, making for an interesting local quirk in place-name pronunciation.

Nearby spots