Shitennoji Temple
Osaka Travel Packages
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Japan Highlights: 6 Nights Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto and Osaka Tour
Tokyo(2N) → Kyoto(2N) → Osaka(2N)
7-Night Japan Highlights: Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo, Mt. Fuji Adventure
Osaka (4N) → Tokyo (3N)
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Probesten Tours(4.8
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Japan Golden Route Discovery: Tokyo, Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka & Nara – 6 Nights
Tokyo(3N) → Osaka(3N)
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Innoleaf(5.0
)
7 Night 8 Days Japan Highlights: Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka
Tokyo(3N) → Osaka(4N)
9 Day Japan Tour: Fixed Departure
Tokyo(3N) → Kyoto(2N) → Osaka(3N)
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Tour Designer(4.8
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Cherry Blossom of Japan 7 Nights/8 Days
Osaka(3N) → Hiroshima(1N) → East of Tokyo(3N)
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GO4Holidays(4.8
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"Japan's oldest officially administered Buddhist temple, standing in Osaka since 593 AD."
Shitennoji Temple, Osaka Overview
Shitennoji Temple in Osaka's Tennoji Ward is one of Japan's oldest Buddhist temples, founded in 593 AD by Prince Shotoku and serving today as headquarters of the Wa sect of Buddhism. Its central compound follows the original "Shitennoji-style" layout: a five-story pagoda, Kondo (Golden Hall), and Kodo (Lecture Hall) set in a straight line inside a roofed corridor. The wooden buildings seen today date to a 1963 reconstruction after typhoon and wartime damage, but the layout has held for over 1,400 years.
Prince Shotoku founded Shitennoji in 593 AD to honor the Four Heavenly Kings, making it one of Japan's oldest state-built temples and a foundational site in the country's adoption of Buddhism. The complex sits in Tennoji Ward, a five-minute walk from Shitennoji-mae Yuhigaoka Station. Its axial precinct of pagoda, Golden Hall, and Lecture Hall follows the historic "Shitennoji-style" plan, rebuilt in the current form in 1963 after typhoon and wartime damage. Visitors can also see the Gokuraku-jodo garden, a stone turtle monument used in ritual, and a flea market held on the 21st and 22nd of each month. It remains an active place of worship, not a museum piece.
