Shitennō-ji is a Buddhist temple in Ōsaka, Japan. It is also known as Arahaka-ji, Nanba-ji, or Mitsu-ji. The temple is sometimes regarded as the first Buddhist and oldest officially-administered temple in Japan, although the temple complex and buildings have been rebuilt over the centuries, with the last reconstruction taking place in 1963. Shortly after World War II, Shitennō-ji became independent of the parent Tendai sect, and formed the "Wa" sect of Buddhism.
Shitennō-ji
Model of the temple complex at the time of its construction, at Osaka Prefectural Chikatsu Asuka Museum.
The rubble of the five-tiered pagoda after destruction by the 1934 Muroto typhoon.
Shitennō-ji pagoda
Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan, and one of the three major cities of Japan (Tokyo-Osaka-Nagoya). It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2.7 million in the 2020 census, it is also the largest component of the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area, which is the second-largest metropolitan area in Japan and the 10th-largest urban area in the world with more than 19 million inhabitants.
Osaka City Hall
Image: Osaka Castle 03bs 3200
Image: Shin Sekai:新世界 panoramio
Image: Osaka Dotonbori Ebisu Bridge