Shōfukuji Temple Jizōdō Hall

Tokyo Metropolis is quite huge. While “Tokyo” typically refers to the 23 special wards on the east side of it, there are also numerous cities, towns and villages, many of which are rarely visited by tourists and local urbanites.

In Higashi-Maruyama, one of such suburban cities, stands the oldest building in the metropolis, a wooden structure older than Tokyo itself.

Constructed in 1407 during the Muromachi period, the Jizō-dō or “Ksitigarbha pavilion” at the Zen Buddhist temple of Shōfuku-ji is a sight to behold. It is a quintessential example of medieval Zen style architecture, with quaint windows and a thatched copper roof with a sharp concave curve.

The building, a miraculous survivor of age, rain and fire, was the first in Tokyo to be designated as a National Treasure in 1952.

Inside the pavilion is a statue of Ksitigarbha, the main subject of worship at Shōfuju-ji, surrounded by nearly a thousand Ksitigarbha statuettes, all centuries old. Note, though, that it is usually not open to the public except for a few occasions each year; a replica of the statue can be viewed at the nearby municipal museum.