temple (Buddhist)Ueno, Yanaka, Nippori

Zenjoan (Yanaka, Tokyo)（Zenshoan-Temple)

Imperial CourtYamaoka Tesshughost picturerakugo

Zenjoan is a temple of the Kokutaiji school of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. It was built in 1883 by Tesshu Yamaoka, a shogunate retainer, to mourn those who died in the Boshin War and other battles, whether in the government or shogunate forces, at the end of the Edo period and at the time of the Meiji Restoration. Within the grounds is the graveyard of rakugo storyteller Sanyutei Encho, who was a friend of Tesshu, and the temple also houses a large collection of ghost paintings that Encho collected during his lifetime. Every year in August, the anniversary of Encho’s death, events such as rakugo performances are held and the ghost paintings are open to the public, making it a must-see.

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