Enkoin Temple

Enkoin Temple is one of the Kofu Gozan or Five Great Zen Temples of Kofu, chosen by the warlord Takeda Shingen, who ruled Kai Province (present-day Yamanashi) from 1540 to 1573. All the Kofu Gozan temples were protected by Shingen and entrusted with the task of praying for the protection and safety of the province, but Enkoin was of particular significance. The temple was moved to its current location from present-day Isawacho in the city of Fuefuki by Shingen in 1560. His wife, Lady Sanjo, was buried here in 1570, and the temple’s name comes from her posthumous Buddhist name.

The peaceful temple sits on the slope of Mount Atago overlooking the city of Kofu and the Kofu Basin. It is an appropriate view for Lady Sanjo, a noblewoman from the imperial court in Kyoto who married Shingen at age 16. During her lifetime, Kofu became an influential city with connections to prominent people of the period. The large cemetery begins beside the main hall and runs all the way to the back of the forested grounds. Lady Sanjo’s grave is behind a stone fence bearing the imperial seal of Japan.