Kita-in Audio Guide

Kita-in Temple: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Kita-in Temple

   Welcome to Kita-in Temple, written 喜多院 in Japanese, one of the great Buddhist temples of Kawagoe in Saitama Prefecture. Kawagoe sits to the northwest of Tokyo, about 30 minutes by train from the center of the capital, and it is famous as a castle town that earned the nickname Little Edo. A quick word on what this guide covers. It tells the temple's story in broad strokes: its long history, its famous halls, its Buddha statues and its link to the lords of Kawagoe. It does not describe every corner of the grounds, so leave yourself room to wander and notice things on your own. The temple's full formal name is Seiya-san Muryōshuji Kita-in. Many locals also call it Kawagoe Daishi. Hold on to both names, because you will hear them around town.

2. 02

   A Temple Older Than Little Edo: Kita-in Temple

   Kita-in Temple is old, even by Japanese standards. Japan's national tourism organization says it was built about 1,200 years ago, which makes it one of the great spiritual anchors of the Kawagoe area, long before the town became a showcase of Edo-period life. The temple once stood among three related temples, and Naka-in was one of them. Over time Kita-in replaced Naka-in as the most influential of the three. In that same period, the Chinese character used in its name was changed to the one used today, which carries the meaning of great happiness. So the name you see on the gate is a small piece of the temple's own history, a rebranding toward good fortune. When you stand in its grounds, remember that you are visiting a place whose roots reach back much further than the streets of warehouses that now draw the crowds.

3. 03

   From Edo Castle to Kawagoe: Kita-in Temple's Main Hall

   Here is a detail that surprises many visitors. Kita-in Temple is noted for a main hall that was part of the original Edo Castle. That is the castle at the heart of the city we now call Tokyo, the seat of the Tokugawa shoguns. A building from the center of shogunal power now serves a Buddhist temple in Kawagoe. The link makes sense when you remember how closely the two cities were tied. Kawagoe mattered to the capital for trade and strategy, and the shogun placed some of his most loyal men as lords of Kawagoe Castle. Close ties grew between the two places, and Kawagoe inherited many aspects of Edo culture and architecture. That is how it earned the name Little Edo. The temple was also patronized by the daimyō, the feudal lords of Kawagoe Domain. So as you look at the hall, think of it as a bridge between the great castle of the capital and this local temple.

4. 04

   Hundreds of Faces: The Rakan of Kita-in Temple

   Kita-in Temple is best known for its stone statues of the Rakan, the disciples of the Buddha. The count is usually given as around 540, though some tallies say 538. Either way, it is a crowd of hundreds, gathered in one place. What makes them special is that no two seem alike. Each statue has its own face and its own posture. Take your time here and look closely, because the pleasure comes from the individual figures. Some seem to be thinking, some seem to be smiling and some seem to be lost in conversation. It is a bit like watching a busy station platform, except everyone is carved in stone and has stopped moving. Behind the main hall there is a quieter side of the temple. Here you will find the graves of five Matsudaira clan daimyō who ruled Kawagoe Domain during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. They are a reminder of the temple's long relationship with the lords of the town.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Kita-in Temple fits easily into a walk through Kawagoe. The Kurazukuri district of clay-walled warehouses, Candy Alley and the temple are all within about a twenty-minute walk of each other. You can pair the temple's quiet grounds with the lively old streets and see two very different sides of the town in one afternoon. If you came by train from Tokyo, a rechargeable transit card such as Suica or Pasmo is the easy way to travel, because the Japan Rail Pass is generally not valid on the Tobu and Seibu private lines that serve Kawagoe. Before you leave, try a few things. Find the face among the statues that seems to look back at you. Think about how a hall from Edo Castle ended up here. And when you reach the old warehouse streets, look for other traces of the Edo connection that gave this town its nickname.