Tokyo / Kagurazaka / Temple

Zenkokuji Bishamonten

善國寺 毘沙門天 ぜんこくじびしゃもんてん

The red temple halfway up the slope, guardian of the district since 1595, with tigers for lions and a night market of lanterns.

For a second visitHistory · Free · Photogenic · Seasonal

The temple of Bishamonten, the armoured guardian god, stands in vermilion halfway up Kagurazaka and is the reason the geisha quarter grew here: the temple fair drew crowds, the crowds drew tea houses, the tea houses drew geisha. Its lion-dogs are tigers, Bishamonten's animal; its main hall was rebuilt after the war; and its festival days, on the first "tiger day" of each month and especially in July, bring stalls and lanterns up the whole slope. It takes five minutes and it explains the neighbourhood.

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A hand-drawn sketch for orientation — each place links to an exact map.
Tip
A quick bow here is the traditional start of a Kagurazaka evening.
Best time
Evening; July festival nights.
Allow
15 min
Station
Iidabashi, exit B3, 5 minutes up the slope
Official site — hours, prices, closures
www.kagurazaka-bishamonten.com · Map

Appears in

In this area: Kagurazaka

Street Essential

Kagurazaka's stone lanes神楽坂の石畳の路地

Hyogo Yokocho and Kakurenbo Yokocho — black fences, lanterns, cobbles, and the geisha quarter that still works.

60 min · Iidabashi (JR / Tozai / Yurakucho / Namboku / Oedo lines), exit B3, 3 minutes uphill
Shrine Worth it

Akagi Shrine赤城神社

A 700-year-old shrine rebuilt by Kengo Kuma in glass and cypress, with a café and a Sunday market at the top of the hill.

30 min · Kagurazaka (Tozai line), exit 1, 1 minute
District Worth it

Dining in Kagurazaka神楽坂で食べる

Kaiseki behind black fences, French bistros from the institute's shadow, a hundred-year-old sweet shop, and pétanque on Sundays.

150 min · Iidabashi or Kagurazaka, the whole slope between them

All places — Kagurazaka →