Buddhist temple
Hōen-ji
宝円寺（ほうえんじ）
Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture
A Sōtō Zen temple (Gokokuzan) in Takara-machi, Kanazawa, the family temple associated with Maeda Toshiie, founder of the Kaga domain. Its main hall enshrines the principal image, Shaka Nyorai, and it is also a pilgrimage temple of the Hokuriku Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage.
English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む
Prayers associated with this place
Principal image: Shaka Nyorai
History and things to know
According to temple tradition, Maeda Toshiie invited 大透圭徐, whom he had come to follow in Echizen, and built Gokokuzan Hōen-ji in Tenshō 11 (1583), when he became lord of Kanazawa Castle. It moved to the present site in Genna 6, and after losing its buildings to an accidental fire in Meiji 1, the main hall and priests' quarters were rebuilt in Meiji 5.
Introduced by this site, based on materials from the shrine or temple and public bodies.
Related kami and buddhas
Before you visit
Chōrei-ji in Nanao is the renamed Hōen-ji that Toshiie first opened in Noto, and is a separate temple from Hōen-ji in Kanazawa.
Official website of the shrine or temple (may be in Japanese)
Sources (in Japanese)
- 宝円寺「御祭神・御本尊・由緒の公式案内」（2026-10-22 確認）
This site is independent of the shrines, temples, and other websites mentioned. No partnership or endorsement is implied.