Ishigaki Island - Momorinji Temple

Ishigaki Island Tourist Information

◆Ishigaki Island for sightseeingRental car required.Oh my god!!!
Early reservations are recommended as they fill up quickly.

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◆Tuk-tuks and electric trikes are also popular!

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About Tōrin-ji Temple

Located about a 15-minute walk from the Ishigaki Island Remote Islands Terminal, this temple is the oldest wooden structure in Okinawa Prefecture.

It is said that, since there were no shrines or temples in the Yaeyama Islands, the Satsuma Domain—which had invaded the Ryukyu Islands—advised King Shō Nei, leading to the shrine’s founding in Keichō 19 (1614).

Tōrin-ji is a Rinzai Zen temple that was founded at the same time as Gongen-dō.

The two statues at the temple gateNio StatuesIt is Okinawa’s oldest wooden sculpture, created in Genbun 2 (1737), and has been designated as a prefectural tangible cultural property.

How to Get to Tōrin-ji Temple

Tōrin-ji Temple is located about a 15-minute walk from the Remote Islands Terminal.

After exiting the Ishigaki Island Remote Islands Terminal, go straight down the road on your left.

Turn left onto City Hall Street and go straight. Turn right onto Torinji West Street and continue straight for a short while; you’ll see Torinji Temple on your right.

How to Enjoy Your Visit to Tōrin-ji Temple

In the area around Tōrin-ji Temple,Ishigaki Family Garden...so it's a great spot for a stroll.

The traditional red-tiled houses and towering banyan trees evoke the history of the Yaeyama Islands and give you a sense of being in a different world.

This temple is especially recommended for those looking to recharge. Amulets and other items are sold at the entrance.

Details of Momorinji Temple

Tōrin-ji is the oldest wooden structure in Okinawa Prefecture, built by the Satsuma Domain, which invaded the Ryukyu Islands 400 years ago.

Tōrin-ji Temple, which usually has a calm and peaceful atmosphere, becomes bustling with visitors during the year-end and New Year’s holidays.

It gets just as crowded as Tomizaki Kannon-do.

However, Tōrin-ji suffered damage from the massive tsunami caused by the Yaeyama Earthquake of 1771, and both the temple and the Gongen-dō hall were completely destroyed.

The Nio guardians at Tōrin-ji Temple, located at the temple gate, were also swept away.

Tōrin-ji Temple was rebuilt the year after it was completely destroyed by the tsunami, and the Gongen Hall was rebuilt 14 years later, in 1786.

Created in 1737, six years after Tōrin-ji Temple was founded, the statues of Kongō Rikishi and Mitsu-seki Rikishi that had been enshrined at the temple’s mountain gate were swept away by the tsunami caused by the Yaeyama Earthquake.

It was discovered washed up on the shore, restored, and returned to its place at the temple gate.

At Tōrin-ji Temple, you can experience a custom unique to Ishigaki Island, where you place the payment for your amulet directly into the offering box.

In addition, there is a bell in the bell tower in front of the main hall of Tōrin-ji Temple, and its sound rings out at the end of the year.

Also, be sure to check it out—you can get temple stamps and amulets there.

A goshuin is a stamp given as proof that you have visited a particular shrine or temple, and since each shrine and temple has its own unique goshuin, goshuin tours have become quite popular recently.

Since you’ll need a goshuin album to collect goshuin stamps, be sure to purchase one in advance.

There are many temples in the Yaeyama Islands, but only two of them—Tōrin-ji and Izumo Taisha Sakishima Hongū in the Shiraho area—offer goshuin stamps, so let’s make the most of this opportunity and get both!

Tourist Attractions Near Tōrin-ji Temple

Gongen-do

Gongendo is a small hall adjacent to Tōrin-ji Temple that houses the Nio guardian statues; built at the same time as Tōrin-ji, it is the oldest wooden structure in Okinawa.

After being rebuilt in 1786, it was designated as a National Important Cultural Property.

There are many unique designs, such as animal patterns, so it’s a place where you can have fun just by looking around.

Since it’s located near Tōrin-ji Temple, many people visit it while making their New Year’s pilgrimage, and it’s always bustling with both locals and tourists.

Ishigaki Family Garden

To reach the Ishigaki Garden from Tōrin-ji Temple, exit the temple and turn right, then turn right at the Tōrin-ji intersection. Continue along Tōrin-ji Nishi-dori and turn left at the second intersection; the garden will be on your right.

The Ishigaki Garden is one of the two historic gardens of the Yaeyama Islands and is a valuable garden with a unique atmosphere that combines Japanese garden elements with Ryukyu coral and subtropical plants.

This garden was built by the ancestors of the Ishigaki family and is easily accessible, just a 5-minute walk from downtown Ishigaki Island.

Since the Ishigaki Family Garden is still inhabited by members of the Ishigaki family, please limit yourself to viewing it from the outside unless it is open to the public.

Shin-Ei Park

To get to Shin-Ei Park from Tōrin-ji Temple, leave the temple, turn right, turn left at the Tōrin-ji intersection, and head south on Tōrin-ji Nishi-dori.

Go straight for a while, and it will appear on your left.

Shin-Ei Park is a popular, spacious green park that hosts many outdoor events, such as the Orion Beer Fest and the Tuba-Rama Festival.

The park is usually bustling with local children playing sports and using the playground equipment.

The park is home to the World Peace Bell, a monument commemorating Ishigaki City’s declaration as a “City of Peace,” and a statue of “Pai-guru,” Ishigaki City’s official mascot—there’s plenty to see!

Details of Momorinji Temple

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