Osaka had soooo many interesting places worth checking out, but we had soooooo little time to spend here, so we had to just go for the choicest ones. And by “choicest”, I meant the ones that are closer and would not take so much time to get to. And we also had to make sure that we visited the first Buddhist temple, and the oldest administered (state-built) temple in Japan, the Shitennoji Temple.
From our visit to Sumiyoshi Taisha, it took a couple of train transfers and we got to the JR Tennoji Station on the JR Loop Line. From there, we stopped by a small udon place for a late breakfast, then proceeded on that walk to Shitennoji Temple.
It was quite a meandering walk through a neighborhood, and then we spotted this entrance. We thought this was it!!! (Don’t you just love autumn colors?? I do!)
So we entered and….
…it turns out to be a cemetery. It still fascinated us, though, because it did not look creepy at all. And it was in the middle of a residential area, too!!
Some had flowers and other offerings, and some incense sticks. It rained earlier, so they were snuffed out.
After some more pictures, we stepped out of the cemetery, walked further, and finally spotted Shitennoji Temple across the street! It’s hard to miss, really, once you come out of the maze of neighborhoods, since it is quite huge.
Ok, let’s start.
Shitennoji literally means the “temple of the Four Heavenly Guardian Kings”. That will be explained a bit later. Just know that ji means “temple”.
Shitennoji Temple has three main entrances or gates. The Great East Gate (Higashi-no-mon), the Great West Gate (Saidai-mon and considered to be the main entrance), and the Great South Gate (Nandai-mon). We came upon, and entered through the Nandai-mon. (One way to know that it’s the south gate is if there is a wide parking area in front of it.)
You could say that, in Osaka, Shitennoji is the seat of Buddhism.
Once you enter, you will immediately be struck by how vast the place is. You will immediately come upon the outer or exterior grounds. Then there is the inner precinct, where the five-storied pagoda is located (see it?).
The five-storied pagoda contains the Main Hall of the temple, where Prince Shotoku is enshrined. Prince Shotoku was known to have been a staunch supporter of Buddhism and was one of the first who introduced the faith in Japan. He was also the one who built this temple around 1400 years ago. (Yes, it is that old.)
Prince Shotoku built this temple and dedicated it to the Shitenno, or the Four Heavenly Guardian Kings, after they helped him and his clan defeat their enemies.
Entrance is free, if you stick to the outer grounds. There are fees to be paid if you enter the inner precinct.
For some reason, we just opted to walk around the other grounds. We didn’t really feel any urge to go inside.
To enter the inner complex, you have to pass another set of gates, called Chumon. Like the one behind me. This is the Chumon on the Great South Gate.
Remember my post about the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa? How the gates had guards called Nio guardians. The Chumon also had these nio guardians, which is one reason why another name for Chumon is Nio-mon.
There are two nio statues. One has an open mouth (he’s called the agyo), and the other has a closed mouth (he’s the ungyo). The guardian on the right, agyo, with its open mouth, symbolizes birth, while the ungyo on the left represents death. Both are tasked to protect the temple against evil spirits.
There were several people already loitering around. And we were drawn towards the trees with the falling golden leaves.
Another angle showing the five-storied pagoda inside the inner precinct of Shitennoji.
Walking towards the west side, you’ll come upon this small shrine of sorts. This is the statue of a kukai, or a monk-scholar. This guy, in particular, is Kobodaishi Shugyouzo, the founder of the Shingon school of Buddhism.
See the wheel in front of the statue? That is a rinneto, a stone wheel that represents the endless cycle of suffering brought about by birth, death, and rebirth… and so on.
There were many others who followed in his footsteps, and they were represented by this rows and columns of miniature kukais. This is on the right side of the Great West Gate.
This is the last figure. No. 633. I suppose he is the current kukai in place….?
This is the entrance through the Great West Gate. It is touted as the “main” entrance because it is lined with shops and stores selling food and souvenirs. There’s the stone torii, a staple in temples and shrines around Japan.
And here is the Great West Gate or Saidai-mon. Complete with stone lanterns and a place to wash hands and mouth.
There is also a stone monument (you can’t see the writings here, I’m afraid. Sorry.) that says, “Buddhism arrived here for the first time in Japan”.
By the way, the Great West Gate is also called the Gokuraku-mon or Paradise Gate.
Temple workers heading inside.
Can you spot the other entrance past the Grand West Gate? That’s the Saijumon or the gate through which people can enter the inner precinct to go to the pagoda. Earlier, you saw the Chumon, which was on the Grand South Gate. This is on the Grand West Gate. (You cannot enter the inner precinct, or the Garan complex, through the Chumon).
Another staple in temples. Where you should wash your hands and mouth prior to entering the temple and saying your prayers and petitions.
You can’t see it clearly in the pic below, but the monk (in orange robes) is holding on to a wheel. This is a tenporin wheel, a wheel of dharma, which represents Buddha’s teachings towards the path to enlightenment. The gate has several of these wheels attached to it at various points. 
On the left side of the Great West Gate is another statue. This time it is another Buddhist monk, Shinran Shonin, founder of the Joudo Shinshuu sect.
I love love love the treeessss~
If you walk around the northern side of the complex, you will find yourself transported to another time and place.
This is the northern belfry or bell tower called the Kita Shoudou. Pretty intimidating, if you ask me.
A group of young men equally fascinated with trees and leaves. 🙂
That’s the Rokujidou. It is a worship hall, which also moonlights as a cultural center. In fact, it has been declared as one of Japan’s cultural spots.
Religious activities, rituals and dances are performed on top of this stone stage. The stone stage is permanent, by the way.
In front of the worship fall, and flanking the stone stage is the Kami-no-Ike Pond. 
This pond is also well-known for its multitude of basking turtles.
…and napping cats. Haha! Spot the kitty~!!!
We walked around to the other side, planning on completing the circuit and end up where we entered.
Then we discovered this enclosed spot. 
We entered…..
…and stumbled on this! 
Such a well-manicured “garden”. I can only imagine the great care and dedication that went into keeping the place looking like this every minute of the day!
The place was literally “littered” with small shrines and smaller worship and prayer halls. We didn’t hang around as long as we wanted because the sky was becoming so gloomy with the threat of rain. So we just stepped out, checked some stores around the area, and headed to Den Den Town.
I would put Shitennoji Temple as another must-see if you are in Osaka. On hindsight, I regret not going inside the inner precinct, but there is no denying that what I saw on the outer grounds was already more than enough to make me truly and fully appreciate the place.
If you plan on going here, devote at least one hour. It’s an 8- to 10-minute walk (depending on your sense of direction, and the condition of your legs. And your shoes.) from the JR Tennoji Station.