Shukubo

In Japan, a Shukubo  is a place where visitors can spend the night inside a Buddhist temple. It means "temple lodging" in English.  In the past, these facilities were built to house only monks and worshippers. However, nowadays, more and more of them are welcoming general tourists and expanding their facilities and services accordingly. Some temples, such as , have outdoor hot spring baths known as  Onsens. These temple lodgings are now somewhat secularized and in many towns, they are the only available accommodation options.

 History 
At first, only Buddhist monks called Bhikkhu were permitted to stay at these accommodations. However, during the Heian period, more individuals began to embark on pilgrimages to temples and shrines. As a result, even people like the nobility, samurai, and common pilgrims began to stay in these facilities. As a result, the operators of these facilities were no longer only monks.

Shukubo were historically used by Shugendo practitioners and those who worshipped mountains. They played significant roles in the development of both practices.

In a construction boom that lasted for several decades in the Edo period, networks of Shukubo started to develop in Ise, Shima, Toba, and Futami-ura.

Many of the present-day operators of Shukubo are descendants of families who used to run them when they were solely for religious purposes. These Shukubo were originally intended for only one Kosha, but opening up to the general public has significantly increased the number of people staying at these facilities. >

At the base of Mount Haguro, there were once 336 Shukubo, all of which were connected to Shugendo.

During the Edo period, visits to temples and shrines became popular Destinations included those Ise, Kotohira-gū, and . As a result, lodging houses were constructed at major temples and shrines in each area to accommodate ordinary pilgrims and tourists. This formed an early tourism industry. Specific areas were linked to specific lodging houses.

In modern times, some Shukubo have been transformed into traditional inns and ryokans for tourists who wish to experience the ambiance of a temple stay.

 Related pages 

 Three Mountains of Dewa


 Saikan

 Gallery 

 References 

 Other websites 


Category:Buddhist temples in Japan
Category:Shinto
Category:Shugendo
Category:Mountain faith