A day of celebration and reflection at the majestic Zojoji temple
Date: April 5
Time: 11:00 to 15:30
Venue: Zojoji (Address: 4-7-35 Shiba-koen)
Capacity: Limited to 20, partners and friends welcome.
Fee: 3,000 yen including a box lunch. Chairs provided in the Main Hall.
RSVP by Friday, March 25, 2025. In case of cancellation, inform as soon as you can, to free up a space. Cancellation deadline, March 25.
Description:
On April 5, a hundred monks in full regalia will proceed from the Sangedatsu-mon gate to the Main Hall to conduct a memorial service for Honen (1133–1212), the founder of the Pure Land school. Seated close by, you may be transported to another realm, if for an hour.
Founded in 1393, Zojoji was relocated to the present site in 1598 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who went on to establish the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo (present-day Tokyo). Made the Tokugawa clan’s family temple by Ieyasu, Zojoji flourished during the Edo period (1603-1867), also serving as an administrative center for the Pure Land school with about 150 seminaries and 48 affiliated temples on the precincts covering 204 acres (82.6 hectares).
The day’s program also features a guided tour of the temple. Our participation in the event has been made possible by Masaya Juge, who succeeded his father in 2014 as head priest of their family temple, Shoren-ja, one of the temples affiliated to Zojoji.
Cultural Program Coordinator: Michiko Okubo
