Torinji Temple is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the Yaeyama Islands and is widely regarded as the oldest Buddhist temple in the region. Located in Ishigaki City, the temple was founded in 1614 by King Sho Nei, the seventh king of the Second Sho Dynasty of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
The temple was established with Kanko Seido, a monk of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism, as its founding priest. Next to the temple stands Gongen-do, a shrine dedicated to the Kumano deities Izanami-no-Mikoto, Hayatama-no-Mikoto, and Kotoshironushi-no-Mikoto.
Torinji is an important reminder of the religious and cultural connections that linked the Ryukyu Kingdom with mainland Japan, China, and the wider East Asian world.
Torinji was founded after the Satsuma domain recommended the construction of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in the Yaeyama Islands. The founding monk, Kanko Seido, came from Enkakuji Temple in Shuri, a major Rinzai Zen temple of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
He brought with him a bronze statue of Kannon, the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion, as well as three sacred mirrors associated with Gongen-do. A record compiled in 1713 describes Torinji as a branch temple of Enkakuji, while Gongen-do was regarded as a branch shrine of Naminoue Shrine in Naha.
The main temple building and Gongen-do originally had thatched roofs. The main hall was reroofed with tiles in 1694, followed by Gongen-do in 1703.
Between 1736 and 1737, the temple grounds were expanded and a Buddhist hall was constructed. In 1737, the famous wooden Nio guardian statues were created and placed at the temple gate.
These buildings and statues reflect the distinctive architectural and artistic traditions that developed in the Ryukyu Islands. Rather than simply copying styles from mainland Japan, local craftsmen incorporated regional materials and design elements into the temple complex.
Torinji and Gongen-do suffered catastrophic damage during the Great Meiwa Tsunami of 1771, caused by the Yaeyama Earthquake. Many buildings and Buddhist statues were swept away by the enormous tsunami.
Torinji was rebuilt the following year, in 1772, while Gongen-do was rebuilt in 1786. Several statues were carried out to sea, but the statue of Monju Bosatsu and the two Nio guardians were later found washed ashore at Sakieda Bay.
The survival and recovery of these objects are an important part of the temple’s history and provide a vivid reminder of the devastating natural disasters that have shaped life in the Yaeyama Islands.
In 1782, Daijo-in, a Shingon Buddhist temple in Kagoshima, proposed that Torinji be converted into a Shingon temple. The royal government of the Ryukyu Kingdom rejected the proposal.
The government explained that Torinji had been a Rinzai temple since its foundation and that changing its religious tradition could cause uncertainty and unrest among the local population. The decision helped preserve the temple’s longstanding connection with the Rinzai tradition.
Gongen-do is dedicated to the Kumano Gongen, represented by Izanami-no-Mikoto, Hayatama-no-Mikoto, and Kotoshironushi-no-Mikoto.
The sacred bronze mirror preserved at the shrine was cast in 1772 and is regarded as one of the oldest surviving sacred mirrors in Okinawa. Together with the historic shrine buildings, it provides valuable evidence of the religious traditions that developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom.
The pair of Nio guardian statues standing at the temple gate are among Torinji’s most important treasures. They were carved in 1737 by Kutedake Shochu from an ogatama tree native to the Yaeyama Islands.
They are recognized as the oldest surviving wooden sculptures in Okinawa. Facing the temple, the statue on the left is a Kongo Rikishi, while the statue on the right is a Misshaku Rikishi.
The statues were swept away during the Great Meiwa Tsunami but were later discovered on the shore of Sakieda Bay. Their hands and feet were damaged, and the statues were temporarily stored before being restored by Ohama Zenko.
They were designated Important Cultural Properties by the Ryukyu Government in 1956 and later became designated tangible cultural properties of Okinawa Prefecture following Okinawa’s return to Japan.
Torinji underwent reconstruction in 1881. The temple gate and Nio statues were damaged by a typhoon in 1933, but restoration was completed by 1937. The present main hall was rebuilt in 1968.
Gongen-do also underwent repeated repairs. Its sanctuary was renovated in 1882 and was severely damaged during World War II. Restoration was completed in 1947, followed by further repair work in 1972.
In 2006, the sanctuary was damaged by Typhoon No. 13. With financial assistance from Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, a two-year conservation project was carried out, and the restoration was completed in 2008.
Gongen-do was designated a National Important Cultural Property in 1981. The sanctuary follows a three-bay Nagare-zukuri design and is covered with traditional Japanese roof tiles.
Its decorative details are particularly distinctive. The building features bracket arms decorated with raised peony designs, decorative supports carved with waves and demons, and balustrades incorporating Chinese guardian lions. These motifs give the shrine a character that differs from traditional shrine architecture found on Japan’s main islands.
The present Gongen-do was rebuilt in 1786 following the Great Meiwa Tsunami. Its survival makes it an especially valuable example of historic religious architecture in the Yaeyama Islands.
The worship hall is a single-story, hipped-roof structure with traditional tiled roofing. The present building dates to the reconstruction of 1786, although some scholars suggest that it may have been rebuilt when the sanctuary was renovated in 1882.
An additional historic feature is the front gate, a one-bay Yakui-mon gate with a gabled, tiled roof. It is architecturally distinct from the main gate of Torinji Temple.
Torinji Temple is more than a place of worship. Its buildings, sculptures, sacred objects, and long history preserve stories of the Ryukyu Kingdom, religious exchange, devastating natural disasters, war, and repeated restoration.
For visitors exploring Ishigaki Island, the temple offers an opportunity to experience a quieter side of Yaeyama’s cultural heritage. The historic Nio statues at the gate and the nationally designated Gongen-do are particularly important highlights for anyone interested in Japanese, Ryukyuan, and East Asian religious architecture.
15 minutes walk from Ishigaki Port