Shoboji Temple
Shoboji was established in 1191 as the memorial temple of the Shimizu family by an ancestor who was a retainer of Minamoto Yoritomo (1147–1199), the founder of the Kamakura shogunate. From 1546, the temple was also singled out by decree of Emperor Go-Nara (1497–1557) to pray for the safety and prosperity of the country. Today, Shoboji is a well-preserved example of seventeenth-century temple architecture with noteworthy statues, paintings, and scenic gardens.
The temple benefited greatly from the generosity of Okame no Kata (1576–1642), a daughter of the Shimizu family who became a consort of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), the first Tokugawa shogun. A local legend claims that Okame caught Ieyasu’s eye when he saw her lift a heavy tub in which she had been bathing her child to make way for the shogun’s procession. After Okame bore Ieyasu a healthy son, she gained the standing to help support her family temple and secure patronage from the powerful Tokugawa shogunate.
The main hall, the larger abbot’s quarters, and the karamon gate were built with donations from Okame in 1630 and are nationally designated Important Cultural Properties. The main hall houses a statue of Amida Buddha from the Kamakura period (1185–1333) as the principal object of worship, and Buddhist memorial tablets for Okame and her Tokugawa descendants are also kept here. The hall’s wooden interior retains much of its original colorful appearance, including paintings done by one of the artists who worked on Nikko Toshogu, the lavish mausoleum complex of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The nameplate on the building was carved based on the calligraphy of Emperor Go-Nara himself.
The larger abbot’s quarters and the drawing room next to the main hall contain classical Chinese and nature-themed paintings on sliding doors, and the rear garden of the temple is a Place of Scenic Beauty designated by Kyoto Prefecture. A large statue of Amida Buddha that once was enshrined in the octagonal Hakkakudo hall nearby was moved to the Ho’unden hall at Shoboji for safekeeping in 2008.
The temple is usually not open to the public, but visiting is possible several times a year on special occasions.