Shorenji Temple

Shorenji is an ancient temple of the Jodo Shinshu Honganji sect with the mountain name Ryutozan.
Originally called Jorinji, it was a Zen temple of the Soto sect that flourished as a place of learning under the devoted patronage of the Takehara Kobayakawa clan, lords of Kimura Castle.
In 1603, Sogu entered the temple and converted it to Jodo Shinshu, becoming part of the Nishi Honganji sect.
As the place where Rai Shunsui and his school studied, the temple houses numerous valuable historical documents including calligraphy by Kan Chazan and the Rai family.
The temple features a main hall, sutra repository, bell tower gate, temple quarters, and the famous garden “Kogion,” with the graves of Rai Shunpu and his family within the grounds.
The Korean bell, designated as a National Important Cultural Property, is said to have been donated by the Kobayakawa family and is one of Japan’s oldest Korean bells, inscribed with the date Shunpo 4 (963), quietly telling its history to this day.

car

3 min by car from Takehara Station (JR Kure Line)
16 min by car from Kawachi IC (Sanyo Expressway)
22 min by car from Hiroshima Airport

walking

14 min on foot from Takehara Station (JR Kure Line)
5 min on foot from Michi-no-Eki Takehara

Train

130 minutes by train from JR Hiroshima Station to JR Takehara Station

bus

80 min from JR Hiroshima Station by express bus “Kaguya-hime-go,” then a 7-min walk from the “Shinko-bashi” bus stop