Shofukuji
Twelfth-century Zen temple compound built from a monk's smuggled Chinese tea seeds and scriptures.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Shofukuji in Fukuoka starts at its outer wall, Hakata-bei, built from broken roof tiles and stone salvaged from a city burned and rebuilt many times over. It follows the monk Eisai's repeated attempts to study in Song-dynasty China, from a failed first crossing in 1168 to the voyage in 1187 that finally got him accepted by a Chan master, and what he carried home with him in 1191. Look for the gate ahead, said to carry an inscription written by Emperor Go-Toba himself.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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