A Soto Zen temple in Kamidono-cho, Kanuma City, founded as the family temple of the Mibu clan, lords of Kanuma Castle. The principal image, Shaka Nyorai, is the fundamental Buddha of Zen, symbolizing seated meditation and enlightenment. The Mibu clan were warriors who controlled Kanuma during the Warring States period, and this temple alongside Kanuma Castle served as the spiritual center of the c…

Joanji Temple is said to have been founded around 1500 (Meio 9) by the Mibu clan, lords of Kanuma Castle, as a Soto Zen temple and the family mortuary temple of the clan. The Mibu were powerful warriors who held sway over Kanuma in Shimotsuke Province throughout the Warring States period, and they a…