In the first post in this series I introduced the Futenma Shinto Shrine, one of Okinawa’s most historic and prolific places of worship. In this post I’m going to introduce its next door neighbor, the Futenma Buddhist Temple as well as provide travelers with the information they’ll need to get themselves to both shrines.
If you haven’t already read about the shrine however, I recommend first checking that out and then coming back here after - I realize that these posts are quite long, but there isn’t much information available in the English-language about them, so I hope that my hours of translation and research about the history of the shrines helps you better understand their long history and what you’ll be seeing when you visit.
Futenma Buddhist Temple (普天間山神宮寺)
The Futenmanzan Buddhist Temple (ふてんまざん じんぐうじ) is located directly next to the Shinto Shrine and has been an important place of worship for the last five centuries. Unfortunately as I mentioned above, there isn’t a whole lot of English-language information readily available about the temple or its history, so what I’m providing you with today has all been translated from Chinese and Japanese-language resources.
Like most of the buildings in Okinawa, the original temple, which was constructed around 1459 was completely destroyed during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.
So what we can see today is a much newer structure that was completed in the late 1990s.
The short reign of Ryukyuan King Sho Taikyu (尚泰久) between 1454 and 1460 is often referred to by historians as a period where the economy was considered to be quite prosperous. Interestingly though, the royal coffers were almost completely depleted by a devout Buddhist king who (in his short time on the throne) almost bankrupted the royal family constructing far more temples than were actually necessary.
As the story goes, merchants traveling between the northern and central areas of the main island of Okinawa often stopped in the small village of Ginowan (宜野湾市) before finishing the last leg of their trip to the capital.
This practice became even more common after King Sho Kinpuku (尚金福) paid for and constructed the Futenma Shinto Shrine, which became well-known throughout the kingdom as a place with extraordinary supernatural powers. So, when King Sho Taikyu took the throne, it was only natural for him to construct a Buddhist temple next door.
Later in 1644, King Sho Ken (尚賢) would make a personal visit to the temple and specified that it be renovated and expanded in order to accommodate the amount of people visiting. The temple would ultimately stay that way for the next several centuries until it unfortunately fell victim to American bombing during the Battle of Okinawa.
It wouldn’t be until the late 1990s that it would be completely rebuilt and reopened to the public.
Today the temple is open year-round and holds several festivals each year including the Summer Matsuri (夏祭り) and the popular Hiwatari Shinji fire-walking ritual (火渡り神事).
The temple is a “Kannon-ji” (觀音寺) meaning that it is dedicated to the Buddha of Compassion, who in Japan (and many other parts of East Asia) appears as a female. Known in Japan as “Kannon-sama” or “Kanzeon Bosatsu” and in Chinese speaking countries as “Guanyin” (觀音), she is an extremely popular Buddha who is highly regarded for working miracles.
Even though the so-called ‘Buddha of Compassion’ often appears as a slender female, she is often regarded as androgynous and can appear as both a female or a male, but in Japan almost always as a female figure.
The most widely known example of this in the west would be the Dalai Lama of Tibet, who is regarded by many Buddhists as the reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion.
One thing you’ll want to note is my usage of “so-called” above when referring to the “Buddha” of Compassion. Kannon is actually a “Bodhisattva” and not a “Buddha”, which simply means that she/he is a person capable of achieving enlightenment, but chooses to delay it in order to stick around to help others end their suffering.
Unlike the Shinto Shrine next door, (which doesn’t hold association with a network of shrines), this temple is closely associated with the Toji branch (東寺真言宗) of the Esoteric Shingon Buddhist sect (真言宗).
The current abbot of the temple is Mr. Kaneshiro Reikai (金城良啓) who is often on hand to perform a number of daily religious services and study sessions as well as acting as the groundskeeper.
He also keeps an active Twitter account- He’s a busy monk to say the least.
Link: Kaneshiro Reikei Twitter
Given the fact that the temple abbot keeps such a busy schedule, you’ll find that he is often stuck in his small office and that it would seem like the temple is completely unmanned. This means that you’re able to freely walk inside the main shrine and enjoy its beauty or walk around the well-maintained yard in the front of the temple.
The temple offers an assortment of Omamori (御守) or lucky charms that visitors can purchase.
This is completely based on the honor system as no one is going to be around to check whether or not you gave the correct amount of cash. I’m not sure that I’d want to be stealing a lucky charm from a Buddhist temple - I can’t imagine the bad karma that’d cause.
Before entering the temple, you’ll have to walk up a short set of stairs and through a gate - The wooden gate is beautifully designed and the open door looks directly at the main hall.
Just above the door there is a plaque that reads “Futenmanzan” (普天滿山) in Chinese characters.
Once you pass through the gate, directly to your left you’ll notice a wooden pavilion with a large Bonsho (梵鐘), which is a hanging bronze bell and is significant in Buddhism for festivals and holidays as well as for signaling the passage of time.
Link: Bonsho (Wiki)
By Okinawan standards the temple is quite large and its roof is probably one of the most interesting you’re going to see while traveling around the islands. Constructed in what is known as the “nagare-zukuri” (流造) style (which is best described in English as a streamlined gabled roof), it is an asymmetrical gabled roof with a front section that projects outwards at a steep angle making the building seem to appear much larger than it actually is.
Link: Nagare-zukuri (Wiki)
The interior of the main hall is a large open space with very little in terms of decoration - At the front door you’re met with a table full of ‘Omamori’ that is on sale to visitors and once you pass that there isn’t much other than the main shrine, which is absolutely beautiful.
Directly in front of the main shrine there is an altar where you can purchase some sticks of incense with some cushions in front for meditation or prayers. On either side of the main shrine there are two separate shrines, which are used for private religious services and have doors that slide open and shut.
The main shrine is the main attraction as it is beautifully designed with a golden statue of a standing Kannon with an intricately throne-like decoration surrounding the statue.
Not only does the shrine consist of a throne-like altar for the statue, but hanging from the ceiling are golden shaped bells and flowers that look like they’re descending upon the shrine.
The unfortunate part of the shrine (for most people) is that it is a bit far away from the incense burner, so if you want to take photos, you’d need a pretty good camera to catch all of the finer details.
Visiting the temple shouldn’t take too much of your time and it should be considered an added bonus to your stop at the Futenma Shrine where you’ll be able to check out the shrine as well as the beautiful cave, so don’t forgot to stop by when you’re in the area.
Getting There
Address: 普天間１丁目２７−１０ Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, 〒901-2202
GPS Coordinates: 26.2928667, 127.7770667
Mapcode: 33 438 615
Phone: 0988-92-3344
Futenma Shrine is located within Ginowan City (宜野灣市), one of Naha’s larger suburbs, about a 40 minute drive outside of the capital and is close to the US Marine Corps Futenma Base.
If you’ve rented a car for the duration of your stay, getting to the shrine is rather simple and a trip there is likely also going to include a trip to the ruins of Nakagusuku Castle (中城城跡) and the popular American Village shopping area. The shrine provides an ample amount of parking space, which is completely free of charge, so if you visit, you won’t have to spend much time searching for a place to park.
When you get in the car, simply input the phone number or MAPCODE listed above into your GPS and it will map your route to the shrine. If you’re unsure about how to use the GPS system in your rental car, check the link below as there is a bit of a learning curve.
Link: Driving in Japan: Where to Find All Your Mapcodes and How to Use Them
If you are making use of Okinawa’s public transportation services while on your trip, getting to the shrine is going to be a little more difficult. The easiest method would be to take a taxi, but if you do that it is likely that you’re going to have to spend about 6000 yen each way.
A bus on the other hand will only cost about 660 yen.
From the Naha Bus Terminal, located near the Asahibashi (旭橋站) monorail station, travelers can hop on either bus 21, 25, 27 or 77 to Ginowan. After about 40-60 minutes (depending on traffic) you’ll get off at the Futenma (普天間) bus stop, cross the street and walk toward the shrine, which should take less than five minutes.
If you plan to use the bus or the monorail often during your stay, you may want to consider purchasing a holiday pass which offers unlimited usage for a specific time period. The passes, which can be purchased at the airport are sold in either one day or three day increments and go for 3,000 or 5,500 respectively with discounts for children.
Visiting the shrine and temple is free of charge, but if you want to buy any of the lucky charms or write on an ema, there are some costs. Buying them however is completely up to you.
You should also note that if you approach the main shrine at the Shinto Shrine that its customary to clap your hands twice and say a quiet prayer. You should then throw a small donation into the box.
It’s not a good idea to just walk up to the main entrance of the shrine, peer in through the windows and not say a prayer. Even if you’re not into Shintoism, it is still important to pay respect while traveling.
Ema (繪馬匾): 300 yen.
Red Ink Stamp (朱印): 300 yen.
Lucky charm (護身符): 300-500 yen.
Amulet (小牌子): 500-1000 yen.
Shrine Stamp Book (朱印簿): 1500 yen.
Hours: 10am – 8pm Daily (Including Holidays)
Cave hours: 10:00 - 5:00 Daily (Including Holidays)
I realize that these posts turned out to be quite long, but due to the lack of in-depth information about them, I thought it would be a good idea to try provide a bit more info to prospective visitors.
If you find yourself visiting Okinawa and you’re looking for a cultural experience, there are few better places to visit than the Futenma Shrine. Not only do you get to check out the beautiful shrine, but also the cave and the Buddhist temple next door in a small enclosed area.
Even though the shrine and temple are located a short distance from the capital, they don’t really attract as many tourists as they should - I highly recommend a visit though, so if you’re visiting Okinawa, you would do well to take some time out of our busy schedule to plan a trip to this area to check it out.
And hey, if you’re hungry, there’s a King Taco’s location across the street where you can sample Okinawa’s famous Taco Rice. It’s actually pretty good.
