This is said to be the oldest existing Jodo Shinshu temple in Japan. Founded in 1253, it was started by Emperor Gotoba's 12th son Kanenbo Zenshun. Originally located in Shokawa Villege, Ono County, it was moved to Shirakawago to the current Takayama Castle Ninomaru site because the Miboro Dam was to be built there. The present main shrine building was built in the Eisho period (around 1500), and the architectural beauty of the Muromachi period (1336-1573) can be seen in the curves of the gentle roof. The shoin-style building, which is said to have been built with a single cedar tree, is registered as a nationally-designated important cultural property.
Review of Shoren-ji Temple
TripAdvisor Traveler RatingDetails
- Hours
- Advance reservation required
- Closed
- Irregular holidays
- Fees
- appreciate your generous contributions100yen
- Parking Lot
- Not available
- Credit Card
- Not available
- Note
- * Please make a reservation by phone when you come to the hospital.
Information Sources: NAVITIME JAPAN
Access
Gifu Areas

Tucked away in the very center of Japan, Gifu prefecture houses mountains, old towns, and one of Japan’s greatest hot springs, Gero Onsen. A tour of the prefecture’s traditional architecture will take you from the mountain-enveloped wooden streets of Takayama to the mountain village of Shirakawago, where visitors can explore 250-year-old thatched roofed houses known as gassho-zukuri.