Eiheiji

Dogen founded Eiheiji in 1244 as a training temple for the school of Zen he had brought back from China, and it has functioned as one continuously since - this is not a monument with monks in it but a monastery that admits visitors. Around a hundred and fifty trainees live here under a rule that governs sleeping, eating, washing and walking; the practice of shikantaza, sitting without object, is the core. About seventy buildings step up a steep forested slope, linked by covered wooden staircases and corridors that visitors walk in socks, past the meditation hall, the kitchen and the founder's hall. The cryptomeria around it are several hundred years old. Overnight stays are possible by arrangement and mean joining the schedule - the early morning service, the meals eaten in silence in a set order. Photography is limited and the rules are enforced.

History

Dōgen became a monk at 14 and studied at Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei; at 24 he went to Song China and became a disciple of Rujing at Tiantong Temple, and he brought back to Japan the practice of shikantaza, "just sitting". After Kennin-ji in Kyoto and Kōshō-ji at Fukakusa, he built Daibutsu-ji here in 1244, the temple that became Eihei-ji, and his ashes rest in its Founder's Hall (Wikipedia, Eihei-ji).

Highlights

• A working monastery - about a hundred and fifty trainees living under monastic rule.
• Seventy buildings on a slope - linked by covered wooden stairs walked in socks.
• Dogen's foundation - continuous training here since 1244.
• Overnight practice - stays by arrangement that mean joining the schedule.

When to go

All year; winter snow on the roofs is the local recommendation. Two to three hours.

What to expect

It is a religious institution and visitors are guests - silence and photography rules are enforced. There are many stairs and corridors, walked without shoes. Winter is very cold in unheated buildings. Overnight stays are austere by design.

Nearby

Fukui and its dinosaur museum are south; Tojinbo is north on the coast.

Key facts