Senkoji Temple

Senkōji Temple is a Koyasan Shingon Buddhist temple located in Hirano Ward, Osaka City. It is known for its unique buildings, including the “Jigokudō (Hell Hall),” where visitors can encounter Enma, the King of Hell, and the “Hotoke no Kuni (Land of Buddhas),” which enshrines the principal images of the 88 temples of the Shikoku Pilgrimage along with statues of Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai). The temple is also famous as one of the oldest wooden structures in Osaka City. Because the grounds include attractions such as a small dagashi (traditional candy) shop museum and a children’s play area called “Omoroji,” it is sometimes nicknamed “Osaka’s fun temple” or even “the Disneyland of temples.” The temple’s origins are said to date back to the Asuka period, when Prince Shōtoku built a Buddhist hall on what was then open fields and enshrined Yakushi Nyorai (the Medicine Buddha). In the medieval period, after the Ōnin War, local warrior families constructed a defensive moat to protect the area from conflict. Part of the temple was destroyed by fire during the Siege of Osaka, but it was rebuilt in 1661 and remains to this day. Other features on the grounds include a “Bussokuseki” (Buddha’s footprint stone) carved with designs such as the bodhi tree and the Buddha, as well as the “Wannyandō,” where the ashes of pets can be interred.