[2025 Uonuma Attraction] Travel Guide for Saifuku-ji Temple (Updated May)

Niche destination lived in the late 19th century, the current Niigata Prefecture. A few centuries after Michelangelo created mural masterpieces for the Sistine Chapel, Ishikawa also created similar masterpieces in the temples of the area. Yundie is not only an accomplished painter, but also a master of engraving. is a Buddhist temple that displays the carving masterpiece of Yundie. In the temple hall, the huge patio carving is a masterpiece he spent six years, and is widely regarded as his greatest work. This sculpture depicts the famous Taoist Zen master who met tigers in China. Surprisingly, this century-old Xifu Temple is quite well maintained. There are a large number of tourists visiting every day, but in the temple, all the slippers are needed, and even the candlesticks are exquisite and clean. Even after 200 years, until today, when I look at those paintings and sculptures, there are no traces of the years, and they are still beautiful and vivid. Address: Yuki-ku, Niigata Prefecture 174, Ikebukuro Visit time: 9:00 - 15

📍Saifukuji Temple (Oura Kaisan-do) Oura, Uonuma City, Niigata Prefecture 《Access》 Bus stop Mushinokamiguchi/About 12 minutes walk from Minami Echigo Sightseeing Bus Bus stop Tokamachi Iriguchi (National Route 17)/About 18 minutes walk from Minami Echigo Sightseeing Bus Bus stop Mushinoshitaguchi/About 18 minutes walk from Minami Echigo Sightseeing Bus Opening hours 9:00-16:00 ✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲✲ The sculptures by Ishikawa Uncho are a sight to behold😳. Mount Akagi Saifukuji Temple has a history of about 500 years. It is also called "Echigo Nikko Kaisan-do" because its sculptures are as wonderful as those of Nikko Toshogu Shrine. There are wonderful sculptures and paintings of Uncho throughout the hall, and all of them are must-see works, but the highlight is the large sculpture that covers the entire ceiling of the hall on all four sides! 😳 The delicate openwork and vivid colors were truly amazing 👏✨. Photography is not allowed inside the temple, so I couldn't convey this excitement in a photo, so I took a pamphlet. Please see the 8th photo. The real thing is even more amazing 👏. If you visit Uonuma, please include this in your itinerary. #NiigataTrip #NiigataTourism #Niigata #DomesticTrip #MinamiUonuma #Michelangelo #History #Sculpture #0YenTripJanuary2025

Saifukuji Temple, a temple of the Soto sect, is a Niigata Prefecture cultural property that is home to a group of magnificent, intricate, and gorgeous sculptures by Ishikawa Uncho, a master craftsman from the end of the Edo period. Of particular note are the thatched double roof of the Kaisan-do Hall and the carvings on the ceiling inside, which have an overwhelming presence. Uncho's delicate carving technique, which covers everything from the expressions of animals to the veins of leaves on plants, is at a level that can be called divine, and the majestic colors of the "Dougen Zenji Subjugating a Fierce Tiger" painting inside the Kaisan-do Hall retain their original beauty, and the more you carefully observe the details, the more you will discover new things. This is truly a temple worthy of being called a cultural heritage, with Uncho's works forming a unified structure throughout the temple and shrine, and its overwhelming technique and narrative nature make it a highly recommended temple that boasts a spectacular scale and beauty that has earned it the nickname "Echigo Nikko."

Visiting hours: 9:00-16:00 (last admission 15:40) Admission fee: 500 yen for adults Highlights: Master craftsman Ishikawa Uncho completed the masterpieces of sculpture, painting, plasterwork, etc. inside and outside the Kaisando Hall in just five years and a few months. Photography is permitted within the temple for a limited time from December 1, 2022 to April 28, 2023. #trip2023