KENPEI · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTemple & shrine · Osaka
Isshin-ji
一心寺
Isshin-ji is a Pure Land temple a short walk from Tennoji and Shinsekai, famous for its okotsubutsu: Amida Buddha statues made from the cremated remains of people whose ashes were left here. It accepts ashes regardless of sect, and every ten years it makes a new statue from the ashes collected in that decade.
Nothing about it feels gloomy. Local families come and go all day, incense drifts across the courtyard, and the entrance is a startling modern gate in steel and glass, finished in 1997 and designed by the temple's architect-priest, with bronze guardian figures on either side.
What to see and do
Eight bone-ash Buddhas are kept in the ossuary hall; the six made before the war were lost in wartime fires. The next one is due in 2027.
A 1997 steel-and-glass gate with bronze guardian figures, very different from a traditional temple gate.
A small café by the gate serving drinks and mixed rice.
A small theatre in the temple grounds.
What’s on
Good to know
- This is an active temple where families come to leave ashes and pray; keep voices low and ask before photographing people.
- Combine it with Shitennoji and Shinsekai, which are both within walking distance.
More art nearby
Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts
Opened in 1936 inside Tennoji Park. Japanese and Chinese art in a landmark east-meets-west building.
Shitennoji
Founded in 593. Gate, pagoda and main hall stand in one straight line, a layout named after this temple.
Shinsekai retro
Hand-painted signs, neon and oversized food models at the foot of Tsutenkaku.
Abeno Harukas Art Museum
An art museum on the 16th floor of one of Japan’s tallest buildings, with changing exhibitions.