Eihei-ji
Head Temple Of The Soto School Of Zen, Founded By Dogen · Eiheiji, Fukui
The head temple of the Soto school of Zen Buddhism, founded in 1244 by the monk Dogen in the mountains east of Fukui, and still a working training monastery where young monks live a strict life of meditation, chanting, cleaning and study. Some seventy buildings climb a steep, forested slope, linked by long covered wooden corridors and stairways, under huge cedar trees, many of them centuries old. The seven main halls of a classic Zen monastery - gate, Buddha hall, dharma hall, monks' hall, kitchen, bath and toilet - are all here, and visitors follow a set route through them, passing monks at work. The Sanshokaku reception hall has a ceiling of about 230 painted panels of birds and flowers. Visitors can join zazen sessions, and there have been lay programmes with an overnight stay, which change and must be booked. Silence and respect are expected. Fukui is now on the Hokuriku shinkansen, extended in 2024, and the area has the dinosaur museum at Katsuyama, the Tojinbo cliffs, Maruoka Castle and the Ichijodani ruins.
5-15 Shihi, Eiheiji-cho, Eiheiji, Fukui, 910-1228, Japan
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the monastery is open to visitors daily from about 8:30 or 9 am to about 4:30 or 5 pm, with last entry about 30 minutes before closing, and shorter hours in winter. Parts may close for ceremonies and special events, and the whole temple may close to visitors on some days. Zazen and lay stays have their own schedules and must be booked. Buses from Fukui are infrequent, and the last bus leaves early. Confirm current times before relying on them.