Shitennō-ji

Shitennō-ji (四天王寺) is a Buddhist temple situated in southeastern Osaka, Japan. Dating back from ancient times, the temple has been a popular site as it has attracted the likes of emperors, high priests, and aristocrats.

History[edit | edit source]

In 1570, Oda Nobunaga chose the temple as his base for his campaign in the unification of Japan as he launched his attack on the Miyoshi clan. He later returned in 1575 and 1576 to launch assaults against the Ikkō-ikki at Hongan-ji. In 1578, he stationed himself there to study the region and Sakai's battleships.^[1]

In 1582, the Kakushiba ikki members Fujibayashi Naoe and Yasuke collected three lost pages scattered across the temple grounds. Naoe later climbed atop the tallest pagoda and surveyed the land.^[2]

Throughout the centuries, the temple has been burned down numerous times, with the most recent instance being an American bombing during World War II. Its current infrastructure was restored between 1957 and 1963 with the use of concrete.^[1]