DISCOVER FUKUI

The first dojo where Zen Master Dogen practiced upon entering Echizen, boasting a history of approximately 800 years. At the invitation of Lord Hatano Yoshishige in 1243, Zen Master Dogen entered Yoshimine-ji Temple in Shibi District, Echizen, spending about one year there. While preparing for the founding of Eihei-ji Temple at Yoshimine-ji, he wrote 28 of the 95 volumes of the "Shobogenzo." Behind the temple grounds, the "Zazen Stone," said to be where Zen Master Dogen sat in meditation 800 years ago, still sits quietly. Additionally, there are many points of historical interest worthy of reflection, such as the steep, winding "Tetsu-tsu Slope" (Tetsu-tsu-zaka), where Tetsu-tsu, the head cook at the time, prepared meals in borrowed village kitchens under difficult conditions and transported them from the settlement to the temple, and the "Great Drum of Maruoka Castle" from 350 years ago. After the completion of Daibutsu-ji Temple (later Eiheiji Temple), Zen Master Dogen moved there from Kichō-ji Temple. He then devoted himself to guiding his disciples as a full-fledged training center was established. The rugged mountain path he traversed during this time is now the "Ancestral Site Course." This temple served as Dogen Zenji's training ground after he moved from Kyoto to Echizen. Features like "Tetsusui Slope," used by Head Cook Tetsusui to deliver rice porridge, and the "Founder's Zazen Stone," where Dogen Zenji is said to have practiced seated meditation, offer glimpses into life during that era.