ABOUT

Kakurinbo is a historic shukubo (Buddhist temple house) located just far enough outside of Tokyo, on the foothills of Mount Fuji. We welcome you to stay in our traditional Japanese temple house, dine on a seasonal multi-course yuba dinner, and rest your head.

 
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OUR TEMPLE

We cannot speak about Kakurinbo without speaking about our temple. Gyogakuin Kakurinbo is the main sub-temple associated with Kuonji Temple in Minobu in Yamanashi, Japan. Kuonji Temple is paramount to Japanese Buddhist history, and serves as the headquarters of the Nichiren sect of Japanese Buddhism.

Kuonji Temple sits high above Minobu, perched within the mountains. Climbing the 287 steep steps to the temple is a simple practice of Buddhism in itself. Mount Minobu's Kuonji Temple was founded by Nichiren Shonin in 1274. Nichiren Shonin is known to have firmly believed that the Lotus Sutra best conveys the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. The sutra is "Namu myo-ho ren-ge kyo", and to this day, the chant can be heard daily from our temple house.

Gyogakuin Kakurinbo was founded by Niccho Daishonin (reign: 1462 to 1499), the 11th high priest of Kuonji, and the man behind the revival of Mount Minobu.

While shukubos, including Kakurinbo, were originally built for worshipping monks to stay during their travels, Kakurinbo's doors are now open to those who would like to experience staying at a temple house amongst the trees and mountains - enjoying a little piece of history, rejuvenating your mind, and nourishing your body. 

Daily prayer services at Kuonji Temple are open to the public. Afternoon service is at 12:00 and evening service is at 15:00. But morning service (5:30 April - September, 6:00 October - March) is highly recommended, as there is something particularly special about sunrise.