Chuin Temple

Photo: Wikimedia Commons（PD-self）

Located just south of Kitain, this is a Tendai sect betsukaku honzan (special head temple), formally named "Seizan Muryoju-ji Chuin." Like Kitain, it is said to have been founded by Ennin (Jikaku Daishi), and it was once known, along with Kitain and Nanin, as one of the "Three Temples of Kawagoe." Compared to the bustling, worshipper-filled Kitain, it retains a quiet atmosphere and is cherished locally as a spot famous for the weeping cherry trees blooming in front of its main hall. On the grounds stands "Fusentei," a tea room associated with the novelist Shimazaki Toson; it was a gift from Toson to his mother-in-law, Kato Miki, and the "Fusen Monument," inscribed in Toson's own hand, still remains today. The temple is also known as the "Birthplace of Sayama Tea," said to be the place from which Sayama tea spread during the Edo period, and a monument to tea stands on the grounds. The Japanese garden, which changes expression with the seasons, is another highlight, and touring it together with Kitain has become a popular worship route.