The Enkiri-dera Mantokuji Museum is a historical museum in Tokugawa, Ota City, Gunma Prefecture. It tells the story of Mantokuji Temple, a convent that became famous during the Edo period as an enkiri-dera, or “divorce temple,” where women seeking to end difficult marriages could find protection and assistance.
The museum stands on the former site of Mantokuji, which was once a Buddhist convent. Today, the site has been developed as the Enkiri-dera Mantokuji Ruins Park, where visitors can explore the history of the temple and learn about the social conditions faced by women in early modern Japan.
During the Edo period, obtaining a divorce was extremely difficult for women. Mantokuji, together with Tokeiji Temple in Kamakura, was one of only two temples officially recognized by the shogunate as a place where women could seek protection and assistance in ending a marriage.
For this reason, Mantokuji became widely known as a “kakekomi-dera,” or refuge temple. Its history offers a rare perspective on marriage, divorce, women’s lives, and social institutions in Edo-period Japan.
The origins of Mantokuji are said to date back to the Kamakura period. According to temple tradition, the founder was Togawa Yoshisue, a member of the Nitta family, while the temple was established by his daughter, Jonen-ni.
Jonen-ni is said to have inherited her father’s wishes and founded the convent on this site. Several important members of the Nitta family appear in the temple’s traditional history, and women with connections to the Nitta clan are said to have served as successive abbesses.
The second abbess, Join-ni, is mentioned in the Chorakuji Documents, historical records dating from the Kamakura period. Her appearance in these documents provides evidence that she was a historical figure.
However, many records of Mantokuji were lost during subsequent wars and periods of political upheaval. There is a gap of approximately 200 years in the temple’s documented history, and the decline of the Nitta family’s influence is thought to have contributed to a temporary decline of the temple itself.
By around the 16th century, Mantokuji had resumed its activities as a convent belonging to the Ji-shu school of Buddhism. This tradition was spread by the Buddhist monk Ippen and is characterized by devotion centered on the chanting of the Buddha’s name.
During this period, Mantokuji gradually reestablished itself as a Buddhist institution. In the Edo period, it came under the protection of the Tokugawa shogunal family.
With the support of the Tokugawa family, the temple buildings were developed and expanded. In 1636, the main hall and other important buildings were completed, giving the temple an established architectural and institutional presence.
Mantokuji became particularly famous after it was officially recognized by the shogunate as an enkiri-dera, or “divorce temple.” These temples provided a place of refuge for women who wished to leave their husbands and offered a legal and institutional path toward ending a marriage.
In Edo-period society, women generally had very limited ability to initiate divorce. A marriage could normally be formally ended only when the husband issued a written divorce document known as a mikudarihan, literally a “three-and-a-half-line letter.”
Women who were unable to obtain such a document could instead seek refuge at Mantokuji. By entering the temple and remaining there for a prescribed period, a woman could eventually obtain a divorce under the rules associated with the temple.
This system offered an important form of protection to women experiencing difficult or abusive marriages and gave them an alternative in a society where their legal and social options were otherwise limited.
Temples with this special role were extremely rare. The shogunate officially recognized only Mantokuji in Gunma and Tokeiji in Kamakura as temples where women could seek this form of protection. Mantokuji therefore became known as a refuge where women could escape difficult circumstances and seek a new life.
Mantokuji is also associated with a tradition concerning Senhime, a member of the Tokugawa family. According to one version of the story, Senhime, who had been married to Toyotomi Hideyori, used Mantokuji to formally end her previous marriage before remarrying following the fall of Osaka Castle.
Another tradition suggests that it was actually her nurse rather than Senhime herself who entered the temple. Although the historical details remain part of the temple’s traditions and legends, the story reflects the close relationship between Mantokuji and the Tokugawa family.
The situation changed dramatically after the end of the Edo shogunate and the beginning of the Meiji period. Mantokuji had relied heavily on the protection and support of the Tokugawa family, and the loss of this financial foundation made it increasingly difficult to maintain the temple.
Although its traditional role as a divorce temple continued for a time, financial difficulties eventually made continued operation impossible. In 1872, Mantokuji was officially closed.
The temple’s principal Buddhist image, memorial tablets, and other religious objects were transferred to nearby temples, bringing the long history of the convent to an end.
To preserve and share the history of Mantokuji, the Enkiri-dera Mantokuji Museum opened in 1992.
The museum displays historical materials, documents, and exhibits explaining the temple’s history, as well as the social systems and everyday circumstances surrounding marriage and divorce in the Edo period.
Visitors can learn how women sought refuge at Mantokuji, what procedures they went through after entering the temple, and how they could eventually obtain a divorce. The exhibits provide valuable insight into the social position of women and the legal and customary systems of early modern Japan.
One of the museum’s most distinctive exhibits is the “Enkiri Kawaya,” or “Divorce Toilet.” Two traditional Japanese-style toilets, one black and one white, are displayed side by side as a playful symbol of severing and forming relationships.
The display is not an actual public restroom. Instead, it is an unusual and memorable exhibit designed to present the historical concept of the “divorce temple” in a way that visitors can easily understand and enjoy.
The former site of Mantokuji has been developed into the Enkiri-dera Mantokuji Ruins Park. Parts of the temple complex, including the main hall, gate, and garden, have been reconstructed, allowing visitors to imagine the atmosphere of the former convent.
The park has a quiet garden and historical structures that create a peaceful setting for learning about the site’s past. The ruins are also designated as a historic site by Gunma Prefecture and are preserved as an important part of the region’s cultural heritage.
The history of Mantokuji is significant not simply because it was a historic Buddhist temple, but because it represents a rare institution that provided women with a means of escaping difficult marriages during a period when their choices were severely restricted.
Women who entered the temple were seeking a way to protect their lives and regain control over their futures within the limitations of Edo-period society. The temple’s history therefore provides an unusual perspective on changing ideas about marriage, women’s status, and social rights in Japan.
Modern Japanese society operates under a very different legal framework, but the history of Mantokuji continues to encourage visitors to consider how social institutions can protect people who have limited power or options.
The Enkiri-dera Mantokuji Museum preserves this remarkable history for future generations and offers travelers an opportunity to learn about women’s history, marriage customs, and social change in Japan. When visiting Ota City, it is a particularly interesting destination for those who want to explore a lesser-known aspect of Japanese history.