Edo

Discover Manpuku-ji Main Hall, a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in Naka Town, Tokushima. This 170-year-old Edo period Buddhist temple showcases unique "shiho-buta minka" regional architecture with traditional thatched roofing—an authentic off-the-beaten-path destination in Shikoku.

Standing halfway up Mt. Kirihata in Awa City, Tokushima, the Kirihataji Daitō is a National Important Cultural Property rescued from the early Meiji abolition of Buddhist temples. Originally commissioned in 1607 by Toyotomi Hideyori to pray for the repose of his father Hideyoshi's soul, it was dismantled from Osaka's Sumiyoshi Shinra-ji and painstakingly rebuilt at Kirihataji, the 10th temple on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, over roughly a decade. Its unique five-bay-square-over-three-bay-square form is the only surviving example of its type in Japan.

Jōrokuji Kannon-dō is an elegant two-tiered Buddhist hall in Tokushima City, rebuilt in 1648 and designated a National Important Cultural Property of Japan. Part of the Sōtō Zen temple Jōrokuji—affectionately called the "Hōryū-ji of Awa" for its concentration of historic buildings—the hall enshrines a nearly five-meter-tall Heian-period statue of Avalokiteshvara that gave the temple its name. This guide covers the hall's architecture, history, nearby attractions, and essential travel information for international visitors.

Jōrokuji's main hall was once the abbot's quarters, rebuilt in 1629 for a lord's daughter. Its chamfered pillars mark early-Edo work and a blood-ceiling tradition.

Discover Daisendō, a registered Tangible Cultural Property in Tsurugi Town, Tokushima. This Edo-period Buddhist hall serves as the 13th stop on the Haba Shikoku pilgrimage—a local 88-temple route created so that ordinary villagers could experience the spiritual journey of Shikoku.

Tucked into a hillside in Tsurugi-chō, Tokushima Prefecture, Kaize-dō is the 34th station of the Haba Shikoku 88 Sacred Places, a local Edo-period miniature version of Shikoku's great pilgrimage. Originally founded in 1616 and rebuilt in 1816, this three-bay pyramid-roofed hall with open south and east sides was registered as a national tangible cultural property in 2017, and it preserves a vivid trace of rural folk Buddhism in the Shikoku mountains.

The Former Oiso Family Residence in Matsushige, Tokushima, is a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property built during the late Edo period as the home of the Oiso family, who prospered through indigo dye manufacturing. Featuring a distinctive gable roof with plaster walls and a robust timber framework, it preserves the legacy of the Awa indigo industry. Now maintained within the grounds of Kashino Club.

The 1843 gate of Saikyoji in Mima, Tokushima, is a three-bay yakuimon whose outer eaves are boarded and carved with clouds, the detail that put it in the register.

Saikyoji's 1858 main hall in Mima, Tokushima, is a registered property. Its 14 by 16 metre plan follows Jodo Shinshu practice, and dragon and tiger guard the porch.

Built in 1810 at Jizoji, fifth temple of the Shikoku pilgrimage in Tokushima, this plastered storehouse holds an octagonal revolving sutra case. Registered in 2011.

This hall of Kobo Daishi at Jizoji in Tokushima dates from 1711 to 1716 and was remodelled late in the Edo period. Carved transoms, celestial women on the ceiling.

Joined to the north flank of the main hall at Jizoji in Tokushima, this late Edo hall is built around a central goma fire altar, and its carved gable is admired.

Tucked away in Tokushima City's historic Kokufu district, the Zoshu-in Tea Room is a refined late-Edo sukiya building registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 2021. Its five rooms—two tea rooms, a mizuya, a waiting room, and a formal upper room—showcase a remarkable variety of prized timbers and carefully varied designs. Set within a ninth-century temple and steps from four Shikoku Pilgrimage sites, it offers a rare, crowd-free glimpse into provincial Edo architectural refinement.

Discover Zoushuin Maikomi-izumi in Tokushima, a nationally registered Edo-period spiral well of a type rarely seen in western Japan. Explore its history, stone craftsmanship, and the rich heritage landscape of Kokufu-cho.

Chiiori, meaning 'House of the Flute,' is an approximately 300-year-old thatched-roof farmhouse nestled in the remote Iya Valley of Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture. Registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property, this Edo-period minka was purchased and restored by American Japanologist Alex Kerr in 1973. Today it operates as an exclusive whole-house rental, offering guests an immersive experience in Japan's vanishing rural heritage.

The Main Hall of Tsubaki Hachiman Shrine in Anan City, Tokushima Prefecture, is a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property built in 1856. Despite its compact 4.7 m² footprint, this late Edo-period shrine showcases remarkably sophisticated craftsmanship including elaborate bracket complexes with diagonal tail rafters, double rainbow-beam gable ornamentation, and dense sculptural decoration. Located in a tranquil coastal village near Gamoda Cape, the easternmost point of Shikoku.

Discover Hiuradō, a registered cultural property built in 1788 in Tsurugi Town, Tokushima. The 26th station of the Haba-Shikoku miniature pilgrimage offers serene mountain views, ornate carvings, and centuries of folk faith.

Set within the precinct of Manpukuji, a Koyasan Shingon temple deep in the mountains of Naka Town, Tokushima Prefecture, the Manpukuji Storehouse is a finely preserved two-story earthen-walled (dozō-zukuri) building from the late Edo period. Its carefully applied white plaster and rare 'pine fin' gable ornament reveal the craftsmanship of provincial Japan, and the small structure has been registered as a Tangible Cultural Property of Japan since 2005. We introduce this hidden architectural gem along with the spectacular natural scenery that surrounds it.

Tucked within an 800-year-old Shingon temple in Naka Town, the Manpuku-ji Bell Tower is a Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property. Explore its history, serene setting, and the surrounding natural wonders of rural Tokushima.

Discover the Renkoji Temple Sanmon Gate in Ishii, Tokushima Prefecture—a nationally registered tangible cultural property blending Zen and Japanese architectural styles from the late Edo period.