Shofukuji Temple

Shofukuji Temple is located in Fukuoka City, in the western part of Fukuoka Prefecture, and is said to be the oldest Zen temple in Japan. The temple houses important cultural properties designated by the state, such as the statue of the Sixth Patriarch Daikan Zenji, and features a typical Zen temple layout, designated as a national historic site. The initial grounds of Shofukuji Temple were granted by Minamoto no Yoritomo of the Kamakura Shogunate, covering an area of 8 chō (approximately 900 square meters). It is said that at that time, statues of Shakyamuni, Maitreya, and Amitabha were enshrined here. There were many branch temples at the time, totaling 38 (now 6). It is said that some areas formed a temple town, which still exists in various parts of Hakata. Unsen Pond (Hōjō Pond): Built between the Kinsaimon Gate and the Sanmon Gate in the layout of a Zen temple. Due to its gourd-like shape, it is also called 'Gourd Pond,' with its formal name being 'Kimori Pond.'