"Yokoso" Welcome to Osaka, Japan !

四天王寺と聖徳太子
Shitennô-ji Temple and Prince Regent
Shôtoku Taishi

仏教伝来
Introduction of Buddhism into Japan

四天王寺 Shitennô-ji Temple

聖徳太子  Prince Regent Shôtoku

- 2 -

It is situated on the Uemachi Daichi ( Uemachi Plateau ) which stretches from the north to the south.  In ancient times, this plateau was a narrow peninsula protruding into the Osaka Bay. Shitennô-ji Temple was originally built in 593 by Prince Regent Shôtoku Taishi, under the reign of his aunt Empress Suiko. In 587, when he was only 14 years old, together with his father-in-law, Soga no Umako, head of the most powerful clan Soga, fought against Mononobe no Moriya, head of the Mononobe clan, who was against the introduction of Buddhism into Japan.

The prince prayed for help to the Shitennô( Four Buddhust Heavenly Guardian Kings ) and promised them to build a state Imperial Temple in their honor if the Shitennô helped him to defeat the enemies.  His army became victorious and he started constructing a temple and named it the Temple of the Four Heavenly Buddhist Guardians or Shitennô-ji. He was nominated Imperial regent at the age of 19 years old. He actually ruled Japan during the following three decades with his father-in-law Soga no Umako as prime minister. The Shitennô-ji Temple was the first state Buddhist temple in Japan. At the side of the Torii Gate in front of the Great West Gate, there is a stone monument which reads : " The Buddhism arrived here for the first time in Japan".

But, many of the temple buildings including the pagoda seems to be brand new. You can not see any buildings built 1,400 years ago. Many buildings were destroyed several times, by fires, civil wars, typhoons. earthquakes and the U.S. bombings in 1945 during the World War II. The buildings inside the Garan ( the pagoda area surrounded by the walls) were reconstructed in 1963, ( 38th year of the Showa Era ) . The histoiy of Shitennô-ji Temple is the history of its repeated reconstructions. The oldest existing structure of Shitennô-ji Temple is the stone Torii gate made in 1294. It suffered fires during the Ônin Civil War ( 1467 - 1478 ), and the Battle of Winter of Osaka in 1614 and the Battle of Summer in 1615. It is not known for certain when Buddhism was introduced into Japan. It may have be introduced into Japan in early 5th century before the official date of its introduction into Japan.. About the year of  the official introduction of Buddhism,there are also a few different versions,but the most popularly accepted version is that the king　 Song (聖明王　Seimei-ô in Japanese) of the kingdom of Paerkche ( 百済 - Kudara in Japanese ) donated buddhist images and buddhist sacred books in 538 ( Another vesion is 552) to the Japanese imperial house.

- 3 -



The stone "Torii gate erected in 1294

emperor 欽明 （Kinmei ) buddhist images and books of buddhist teachings, with a mesage saying that the Buddhist teachings are excellent among many other religions and Buddhism is worshipped in India and on its East to the kingdoms in the Korean Peninsula. This cult of nature, called animism, is very natural and common in our human sentiments. Such belief was the base of Shintoism. Before 3 world religions,Christianity, Buddhism, and Islamic religion with some systematic doctrines were founded, all peoples in the world had been worshippers of nature.  Our shintoism is basically cult of nature, without any significant, systematic doctrines which other 3 important world religions have. This cult of nature has survived up to our present days, as Japanese people admitted 2 religions, shintoism and Buddhism, which coexist even now. But, threre were 2 stages of only a few years of the conflicts between these 2 religions in our long history. One conflict occured in 6th century just after the introduction of Buddhism into Japan. Another conflict broke out in the first few years of Meiji Era, after the promulgation of the "Law for the separation of  Buddhism and Shintoism " ( 神仏分離令　−Shinbutsu Bunrirei）in the first year of Meiji Era.  The law triggered the massive popular movements of  廃仏希釈 （Haibutsu Kishaku ) ,the elimination of the buddhist images in the Shintoist Temple, and getting rid of  Buddhism, due to the natinalistic sentiments of Shintoism related to the Japanese mythology. The leaders of the Meiji government encouraged the nationalistic sentiments to unite the Japanese people raising the prestage of emperor.

- 4 -







The Gold Pabelion illuminated on
4th Agust, The Bonfire Bugaku day



The pagoda at night






Prince Shotoku Hall



Pagoda



North Bell Tower viewed from the top
of the pagoda



Turtle Pond

Hotei God

The Statue of Saint Kôhô Taishi and the Great West Gate ( The paradise gate )

Stone stage and "Rokuji-dô" Warship Hall

The Garden of Paradise and Pure Land
of Shitennô-ji Temple