Joukuzan Ju-fuku-ji Temple

Overview

Joukuzan Ju-fuku-ji Temple is a Shingon sect temple located in Eio-machi, Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture. Known as the 15th temple of the Kyushu Twenty-Four Jizo and the 76th temple of the Kyushu Eighty-Eight Temple Pilgrimage, it's a fascinating place for history buffs and the religiously inclined. Founded in 1582 (Tensho 10), it was originally built as "Cho-fuku-ji Temple" in the present-day Sasebo city's Hayaki area by Matsuura Shigenari, the lord of Hirado. It was later relocated to its current location in 1635 (Kan'ei 12) as a prayer site for the Hirado clan in Eio. In 1717 (Hyoho 2), the temple's name was changed to its current name because the original name, Cho-fuku-ji, was the same as that of the eldest son of the eighth Tokugawa Shogun, Yoshimune (later the ninth Shogun, Ieshige). The temple grounds include a main hall, a kuri (priest's residence), a bell tower, and a mountain gate, designated as important cultural properties of Japan. The temple is also famous for its "Sen-toro Matsuri" festival, where the temple's water-sprinkled Jizo statue is paraded through the streets of Eio on a portable shrine after being sprinkled with water from a nearby river. Ju-fuku-ji Temple cherishes its history, faith, and connection with the local community, offering visitors a sense of peace and tranquility. If you're visiting Sasebo, be sure to pay a visit.