Ichinomiya-ji Temple

Overview

Ichinomiya-ji (一宮寺) is a Buddhist temple of the Omuro School of Shingon Buddhism, located in Ichinomiya-cho, Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture. Its formal mountain name is Shingōzan, and its sub-temple name is Daihōin. The principal deity is Shō Kannon Bodhisattva, and the temple’s mantra for this deity is Om Arorikya Sowaka.

The temple is the 83rd stop on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, a circuit of 88 temples across the island of Shikoku. It follows Negoro-ji Temple (No. 82) and precedes Yashima-ji Temple (No. 84). Ichinomiya-ji sits directly adjacent to Tamura Shrine, the chief shrine—or ichinomiya—of the former Sanuki Province, and the temple is named after that shrine.

History

Ichinomiya-ji was founded in the year 700, during the Asuka period (538–710). This places its origins in the era when Buddhism was still consolidating its presence in Japan, under the patronage of the imperial court and regional clans. The temple was established in close relationship with Tamura Shrine, reflecting a common pattern in Japanese religious history where shrines and temples shared sacred space, a practice known as shinbutsu shūgō.

The temple’s founding in 700 makes it one of the older sites on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, though the pilgrimage route itself developed over later centuries. As the 83rd temple, Ichinomiya-ji sits near the end of the circuit, just before the final temple, and pilgrims traditionally arrive here after completing the long stretch through the mountains of Kagawa Prefecture. The temple’s connection to the local ichinomiya—the highest-ranking shrine in the province—gave it particular prestige, as it was tied to the spiritual and administrative centre of Sanuki Province.

What Stands There Today

The temple complex includes the main hall, which houses the principal image of Shō Kannon Bodhisattva. Pilgrims who complete their devotions here receive the temple’s nōkyō-in, or pilgrimage stamp, which bears the image of the principal deity. A distinctive feature of Ichinomiya-ji is its commemorative stamp for the “Cauldron of Hell” (Jigoku no Kama), a reference to a local legend associated with the temple grounds.

The temple’s pilgrimage verse (goeika) reads: “Having come to gaze in reverence before the shrine of Sanuki’s Ichinomiya—who among us can truly fathom the heart of the Divine?” This verse is chanted by pilgrims as part of their ritual, and it highlights the temple’s intimate relationship with Tamura Shrine, which stands adjacent to the temple precincts. The physical proximity of the two religious sites remains a defining feature of the location today.

The Name in Japanese

The temple’s name is written 一宮寺, read in kana as いちのみやじ, and romanised as Ichinomiya-ji.

Breaking the name down character by character:

• 一 (ichi): “one.” This is the numeral one, and in this context it carries the sense of “first” or “chief.”
• 宮 (miya): “shrine” or “palace.” This character refers to a Shinto shrine or, more broadly, a sacred or imperial residence.
• 寺 (ji): “temple.” This is the standard suffix for Buddhist temples in Japanese.

The full name, Ichinomiya-ji, thus means “Temple of the Chief Shrine.” The word ichinomiya (一宮) was a title given to the highest-ranking Shinto shrine in each province of Japan. In this case, the shrine in question is Tamura Shrine, the ichinomiya of Sanuki Province. The temple took its name from its neighbour, and the two have been linked since the temple’s founding in 700.

For learners of Japanese, the name is a useful example of how kanji compounds can carry layered meaning. The character 宮 appears in many place names and religious contexts, and 寺 is one of the most common suffixes for temples across Japan, appearing in names such as Kiyomizu-dera and Tōdai-ji. The reading of 一 as ichi and 宮 as miya is standard, while 寺 takes the reading ji here, one of its two common readings (the other being tera).

Visiting and Context

Ichinomiya-ji is located in Takamatsu City, the capital of Kagawa Prefecture, on the northern coast of Shikoku. The temple’s coordinates are 34.2866111, 134.0265833. It is situated in the Ichinomiya-cho district, a name that directly reflects the area’s historical role as the seat of the provincial chief shrine.

Pilgrims on the Shikoku Pilgrimage typically arrive at Ichinomiya-ji after completing the previous temple, Negoro-ji, and then continue on to Yashima-ji, the 84th temple, which lies to the east near the city of Takamatsu. The pilgrimage route through this part of Kagawa is relatively gentle compared to the mountain stages elsewhere on the circuit, and Ichinomiya-ji’s flat, shrine-adjacent setting offers a change of pace.

For visitors, the temple’s main draws are its principal deity, Shō Kannon, and its connection to Tamura Shrine. The two sites are often visited together, and the temple’s commemorative stamp for the “Cauldron of Hell” adds an element of local legend that distinguishes it from other temples on the route. The temple is also notable for being one of the few pilgrimage temples named after a Shinto shrine, a reminder of the long history of interaction between Buddhism and Shinto in Japan.