Zuiryuji

Zuiryuji was built between 1645 and 1663 as the mortuary temple of Maeda Toshinaga, the second lord of the Kaga domain, and it is the most complete surviving example in Japan of the standard Zen monastic plan built out in full: the mountain gate, Buddha hall and lecture hall on a single axis, with corridors running down both sides to enclose a square courtyard of white gravel, and everything balanced left and right. Three of the buildings - the sanmon of 1746, the Buddha hall of 1659 and the lecture hall - are national treasures. The Buddha hall's roof is lead-sheathed rather than tiled, unusual and expensive, done because lead was available from the domain's mines. The effect standing in the courtyard is of an argument about order made in timber. It is a working Soto Zen temple, quiet, and rarely crowded.

What you actually see

• A complete Zen plan - gate, Buddha hall and lecture hall on one axis with enclosing corridors.
• Three national treasures - the sanmon, the Buddha hall and the lecture hall.
• A lead roof - sheet lead rather than tile on the Buddha hall, from domain mines.
• The gravel courtyard - a square of white stone enclosed on all four sides.

When to go

All year; the temple is lit on some winter evenings. An hour or two.

Honest expectations

It is architecturally austere - there is little colour or decoration and some find it plain. Entry is charged. Explanation is largely in Japanese. Takaoka is not a tourist town and there is little around it.

Nearby

The Great Buddha of Takaoka is in the town; Amaharashi coast is north.