Kitain Temple

Kitain Temple (喜多院), located in Kawagoe, holds a unique place in Japanese history as the site of the only surviving buildings from Edo Castle. After a major fire in 1638 destroyed much of the original castle, Tokugawa Iemitsu—the third Tokugawa shogun—ordered key palace structures to be relocated to Kitain. These elegant wooden buildings, now a rare example of Edo-period architecture, include a room believed to be Iemitsu’s birthplace, adorned with samurai armor and a beautifully painted ceiling featuring floral motifs. While the original structures in Tokyo were later lost to natural disasters and war, Kitain's preserved rooms offer a rare glimpse into the shogunate’s former grandeur.

The temple grounds are also home to the Gohyaku Rakan, a collection of 540 carved stone statues representing Buddha’s disciples. Each statue has a unique facial expression and pose, making the area both spiritually meaningful and visually engaging. Kitain’s close ties to the Tokugawa family are reflected in its legacy: the influential monk Tenkai, advisor to the first three shoguns, held a memorial here that led to the founding of the Semba Toshogu Shrine on the temple grounds. Just a five-minute walk from Kitain lies Nakain, one of two surviving sub-temples from the original complex founded in 830 AD. Although Minamiin no longer stands, its presence is still felt in the deeply spiritual and historical atmosphere that surrounds Kitain today.