Menuma Shodenzan Temple
temple
妻沼聖天山歓喜院全体概要
The grounds of Menuma Shodenzan Temple include a lavishly decorated main hall, and a stroll garden with Buddhist statuary and a pagoda.
Menuma Shodenzan Temple in Kumagaya is regularly compared to Nikko Toshogu for the density of its carved decoration. The main hall, Shodendo, built in 1760 and designated a National Treasure, is covered in polychrome carvings of Buddhist allegories and classical Chinese subjects. The temple was founded in 1179 by the samurai Saito Sanemori, depicted in a statue on the grounds showing him in his seventies about to dye his gray hair black before battle. Behind the main buildings, a stroll garden winds past a stream, waterfall, Buddhist statuary, and a two-story peace pagoda built to mark the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty.
Remove shoes before entering any hall. Look for a shoe rack at the entrance. Carry a plastic bag for your shoes if none is provided.
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