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Updated: November 14, 2023

Ekoin 回向院

2-8-10 Ryogoku, Sumida City, Tokyo

Ekoin is a temple from the Pure Land sect of Buddhism that was built by the fourth Tokugawa shogun, Ietsuna Tokugawa, after the Great Meireki Fire tragically killed over 100,000 people in the city of Edo (now Tokyo) in 1657. Based on the principle of spreading the Buddha’s teachings of mercy to all souls of all living creatures, the temple was formally named Shoshuzan Muen-ji Ekoin. Ever since then, this temple has offered burial services for victims of natural disasters such as the Ansei Great Earthquake, the Great Kanto Earthquake, and the Great Tokyo Air Raids, as well as for all kinds of souls, including those who drowned in accidents at sea, prostitutes, stillborn and aborted fetuses, those who died by execution, various animals, and more.

Meanwhile, Ekoin also gained prominence as a temple that displayed rarely seen Buddha statues to the public, as well as being a designated place for sumo during the 76 years until the end of the Meiji period, frequently referred to as the Ekoin Sumo period in Japanese sumo history. If you’re lucky, you might even meet a sumo wrestler at the “Mound of Strength,” built by the Sumo Association, where new sumo wrestlers still go to pray for strength today.
Additionally, there are also numerous cultural treasures and historical remains worth seeing here, including the grave markers of heroic robber Nezumi Kozo, father of Kabuki theater Kanzaburo Nakamura, ukiyo-e artists Kyoden Santo and Kiyonaga Torii, and others.

How to Get There

  • Ryogoku StationJR Sobu LineWest Exit3 min on foot

Contact

Your current location:

Opening Hours

  • 9:00-17:00

  • Closing days: Open daily

Price

Free

For updated information on opening hours, closings, prices, and more, please check the official website or ask the facility directly.