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ARCHITECTURE

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ARCHITECTURE

Gyoki's 1,300-Year-Old Temple: Gumyoji and the Prayer of the Eleven-faced Kannon

Gumyoji, the oldest temple in Yokohama, was founded by the monk Gyoki in 718. Standing before the three-meter Eleven-faced Kannon (Important Cultural Property), one feels in the stillness the weight of prayer that an eighth-century sculptor carved into a single block of wood.

Contents

MOKUJI

Yokohama's Oldest Temple — Founded in 718 by the Monk Gyoki

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The Three-Meter Kannon — Masterwork of Ancient Wood Sculpture

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The 14th Site of the Bando Pilgrimage

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The Niomon Gate, Stone Steps, and the Architecture of Sacred Transition

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Related Spots to Visit

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Yokohama’s Oldest Temple — Founded in 718 by the Monk Gyoki

Three minutes’ walk from Keikyu Gumyoji Station in Minami-ku, Yokohama, moss-covered stone steps rise beyond the bustle of a shopping arcade. At the top stands Gumyoji, the oldest temple in Yokohama, founded by the monk Gyoki in 718.

Gumyoji Temple — Yokohama's oldest temple

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Gyoki (668–749) conducted a broad-ranging lay ministry and earned profound popular trust through works of social benefit including bridges and irrigation facilities. His founding of Gumyoji carries within it the spirit of ancestors who sought to give the people of Sagami Province a place of prayer and refuge.

The Three-Meter Kannon — Masterwork of Ancient Wood Sculpture

The principal image of Gumyoji is a standing wooden Eleven-faced Kannon Bodhisattva. Over three meters in height and carved from a single block of Japanese nutmeg-yew (kaya), this statue is dated to the late Nara or early Heian period. Designated a nationally Important Cultural Property, it serves as the principal image of the 14th site on the Bando Thirty-three Kannon Pilgrimage.

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu — the guardian shrine also venerated by Yoritomo

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Item

Details

Height

Over 3 meters

Material / Technique

Single-block kaya (Japanese nutmeg-yew)

Period

Late Nara to early Heian era

Designation

National Important Cultural Property

Location

Gumyoji Main Hall (secret Buddha, special viewing dates)

The 14th Site of the Bando Pilgrimage

Shomyoji Temple — clan temple of the Kanazawa Hojo, a historic Yokohama temple

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Gumyoji is the 14th sacred site on the Bando Thirty-three Kannon Pilgrimage, which spans thirty-three temples across Kanagawa and surrounding prefectures. Minamoto no Yoritomo is said to have venerated this temple deeply. For Yoritomo, the Eleven-faced Kannon served as a sacred point of prayer for the stability of his shogunate.

The Niomon Gate, Stone Steps, and the Architecture of Sacred Transition

Kenchoji Temple — the great Zen complex of Kamakura

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

The approach to Gumyoji frames the Niomon gate at the end of the shopping street, with stone steps continuing up to the main hall. Passing through the gate marks a transition from the secular to the sacred. Climbing the stone steps one by one is a physical enactment of the gradual process of releasing the distractions of daily life.

Engakuji Temple — the Zen sanctuary opened by Hojo Tokimune

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Related Spots to Visit

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Gumyoji Temple — founded by Gyoki, Eleven-faced Kannon, Bando Site 14

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Shomyoji Temple — clan temple of the Kanazawa Hojo, beautiful garden

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Kenchoji Temple — first of the Kamakura Five Mountains

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Engakuji Temple — second of the Kamakura Five Mountains

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