History and Highlights of Ekoin Temple

Hello, this is the staff of The Gate Hotel Ryogoku. In this article, we would like to introduce the temple Ekoin. It is one of the places you should definitely visit when learning about the history of the Ryogoku area.

What is Ekoin?

Founded to pray for the repose of the souls of those who died in the Great Meireki Fire

Ekoin Temple was founded in 1657, the 3rd year of the Meireki era (1657), as a temple of the Jodo sect of Buddhism. In that year, the Great Meireki Fire, known in Edo as the “Furisode Fire,” not only burned down more than 60% of the city, but also took the lives of more than 100,000 people. Many of these people had no known identities or relatives.

Under the direction of Tokugawa Ietsuna, the shogun at the time, a mound called “Bannin-zuka” was established here. Additionally, a hall was built to hold a large Buddhist memorial service to pray for the repose of the souls of these unrelated people.

The philosophy of Ekoin – Prayer for all living things

Ekoin later became famous as a temple for unmarried people who died in fires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, based on the philosophy of “preaching the Buddha’s compassion for all living things, whether human or animal, regardless of whether they are related or unrelated”. Since the temple prays for all living things, not only people but also animals, there are memorials for various animals, and memorial services for pets such as pet dogs and cats are also held.

ekoin passage to main temple — The path from the main gate to the main hall

History of Ekoin and the development of Ryogoku area

Promotion of disaster prevention by the Edo Shogunate

One of the reasons why so many people died in the Great Meireki Fire was that there was no bridge over the Sumida River and they had nowhere to escape. Therefore, the Edo Shogunate ordered the construction of a bridge.

This bridge connected “Musashinokuni” on the west side of the Sumida River with “Shimousaokuni” on the east side, and was called Ryogoku Bridge. Later, the east side of the Sumida River became the town of Ryogoku.

Edo Culture Developed in the Evacuation Area

At the foot of Ryogoku Bridge, Ryogoku Hirokoji was established as an evacuation area in case of fire. Although this area should have been vacant, it was lined with temporary shows and food stalls that were quickly demolished.

The area was also crowded with people visiting the Ekoin temple across the Ryogoku Bridge, where Edo-mae gourmet food, street performances, theatrical performances, and other entertainment developed, as well as sumo wrestling and fireworks.

Ekoin bustling with visitors at the Dekaicho

Since there were no trains or cars in those days and people in Edo could not easily travel to distant places to visit temples. Dekaicho (opening of temples and shrines), in which Buddhist statues from famous temples and shrines across the country were brought to Edo to give people a chance to visit them, became very popular. Among the various temples throughout Japan, Ekoin Temple was by far the most popular, accounting for 166 of the 741 dekaicho held in Edo. The dekaicho held in 1773 is said to have attracted as many as 16.3 million visitors in 60 days, making it even more crowded than usual.

In the old days, there was a sumo ring in the precincts of Ekoin Temple

Ryogoku is associated with sumo, but in the Edo period, sumo matches were held mainly to raise funds for the construction and restoration of temples and shrines, known as kanjin zumo. The first such event was held at Ekoin Temple in 1768, and for 76 years until the construction of the old Ryogoku Kokugikan in 1909, “Ekoin Sumo” was the main form of sumo.

Highlights of the Ekoin Temple precincts to visit

Chikizuka: a mound commemorating the birthplace of sumo.

It is said that this is the place where new apprentices of sumo wrestlers pray for strength.

As mentioned earlier, sumo performances held on the grounds of Ekoin played a major role in the popularization and prosperity of sumo. On the way to the main hall, there is a huge monument inscribed with the word “Rikizuka,” which was erected by the Sumo Association in 1936 to commemorate the memory of successive spirits generations of elders, and remains a symbol of the birthplace of sumo today.

Can you hear the dragon’s cry? The Hall in front of the Main Hall.

In the center of the ceiling of the hall in front of the main hall is a descending latticework turret (yagura) made of cedar from Rikuzentakata City, Iwate Prefecture, with a powerful dragon in the center. If you clap your hands directly under the dragon, you can hear the dragon’s cry. (The dragon was not made that way, but was noticed by the sound of people clapping their hands together as they prayed!)

ekoin_dragon — Ceiling Painting “Naruku Ryu”

The main image of Amida Nyorai in the main hall

The principal image of the Amida Nyorai in the main hall was once enshrined in the open air with the main hall in the background. It is also a tangible cultural property of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and the 1,000 Jizoson statues enshrined in the back serve as its halo.

There is even artworks by a famous Japanese painters!

ekoin_nenbutsudo — The main guardian deity of the Nenbutsudo, “Ikko-Sanson-zo”

The Nenbutsudo was rebuilt in 2013 as a place for everyone to gather and recite the Nembutsu.

On the back wall, “Pure Land Waterfall” (by Hiroshi Senju) is painted to wash away all kinds of suffering as a temple without relations, and “Flowers of the Four Seasons” (by Tatsuya Ishiodori) can be seen on the ceiling painting.

Tomb of Jirokichi the Rat Monk is good for prayers for success

Since the Edo period (1603-1868), there has been a popular belief in the nezumi koso (rat boy) who played an active role as a “righteous thief” (a thief who steals money and goods from the rich and gives them to the poor) in period dramas. It is said that if a student takes home a piece of the tombstone, he or she will become lucky and if he or she takes it home, he or she will “get in easily”. For this reason, many students who come to the temple to pray for success in entrance examinations now visit the temple.

ekoin nezumikozo — If you shave off the white stone in front and take a piece home, you may receive a blessing.

Stone monument of ukiyo-e artist Torii Kiyonaga

ekoin_kiyonaga — Torii Kiyonaga’s “A Beautiful Woman in a Village under the Flowers” (Tosei Yuuri Bijin Gou Hanashita Bijin)

Torii Kiyonaga, who, along with Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige, was very popular for his paintings of tall, small-faced beauties, lies in the Kaikyoin Temple. Although it has been more than 200 years since his death, many of Kiyonaga’s original ukiyo-e paintings are kept at Ekoin, and an ukiyo-e exhibition is held there every year. (Currently, the exhibition is on hold due to the COVID pandemic.)

The history of the Ryogoku area lives on at Ekoin. It is only a 6-minute walk from The Gate Hotel Ryogoku, so please visit if you have the chance.

It is a 3-minute walk from the West Exit of Ryogoku Station on the JR Sobu Line or a 9-minute walk from Exit A4 of Ryogoku Station on the Toei Oedo Line.