Gokoku-ji Temple, Tokyo

Gokoku-ji (護国寺^?) is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Tokyo's Bunkyō.

History

This Buddhist temple was established by the fifth shogun Tokugawa, Tsunayoshi, who dedicated it to his mother. It is notable for having survived the American bombings during the war, whereas most other historical sites in Tokyo were turned into rubble - including Meiji Jingū shrine which was rebuilt in 1958.

Famous People Buried

• Sanjō Sanetomi (1837–1891), the last Daijō Daijin.
• Akiyoshi Yamada (1844–1892), a Minister of Justice and Lieutenant General in the Imperial Japanese Army, and the founder of Nihon Law School (current Nihon University) and Kokugakuin (current Kokugakuin University).
• Josiah Conder (1852–1920), a British architect and oyatoi gaikokujin.
• Ōkuma Shigenobu (1838–1922), the 8th (1898) and 17th (1914–1916) Prime Minister of Japan.
• Yamagata Aritomo (1838–1922), Field Marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and the 3rd (1889–1891) and 9th (1898–1900) Prime Minister of Japan.
• Ōkura Kihachirō (1837–1928), an entrepreneur.
• Dan Takuma (1858–1932), a former Director-General of Mitsui (Mitsui Group).
• Seiji Noma (1878–1938), the founder of Kodansha.
• Masuda Takashi (1848–1938), the founder of Mitsui & Co. (Mitsui Bussan) and Chugai-Bukka-Sinpo (current Nihon Keizai Shimbun), and also known as a tea master.
• Ikeda Shigeaki (1867–1950), a politician and former governor of the Bank of Japan.
• Nakamura Tempū (1876–1968), a martial artist and preacher of yoga to Japan.
• Ōyama Masutatsu (1923–1994), a karate master and the founder of Kyokushin kaikan.
• Dan Ikuma (1924–2001), a composer. A grandson of Dan Takuma