Shoufuku-ji Temple

Shofuku-ji Temple is a Rinzai Zen temple in Hyogo Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, with the mountain name Tenmonzan. It was founded relatively recently in 1685 (Jokyo 2) by Ungan Zenji and is known as a strict training monastery. Access to Shofuku-ji is about a 16-minute walk from Okurayama Station on the Kobe Municipal Subway, or about a 24-minute walk from JR Kobe Line Kobe Station. From the precincts, which stand with dignified calm at the foot of the mountains in Hyogo Ward, you can look out over the cityscape of Kobe. A picturesque multi-storied pagoda also stands at the rear of the grounds. The atmosphere feels less like a place for casual sightseeing and more like a solemn specialist dojo for training monks. In 1868 (Meiji 1), several hundred soldiers of the Choshu Domain who came to guard Kobe reportedly used Shofuku-ji as their lodging, making it a place that evokes the historical romance of the Boshin War era. Nearby are Gonomiya Shrine (famous as part of the Kobe Hassha pilgrimage) and Gion Shrine, beloved locally as “Hirano no Gion-san,” which are also worth visiting together.