A Soto Zen temple in Kofu City, known as the tragic site where Takeda Shingen's heir Yoshinobu was imprisoned and later died. Yoshinobu grew increasingly at odds with his father over Takeda relations with the Imagawa clan; in 1565 Shingen stripped him of his position and confined him to this temple. Two years later in 1567, Yoshinobu died here. His tomb remains in the precincts, a reminder of the …

Tokoji Temple is said to have been founded around 1380, during the late Nanbokucho period, as a Soto Zen institution. The details of its founding remain unclear, but it is believed to have developed alongside the spread of Zen Buddhist culture in Kai Province. The temple became closely associated wi…