The Temple keeps its simplicity beauty and visitors can feel it from the worship hall's ceiling decoration painting and its garden/ yard. The Temple reflects the Soto Zen sect of the Buddhism. But, for the poetry lovers, it also reflects John Keats' poem- "'Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty. ' – that is all / Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know".
The Temple was rebuilt in current site in 1714, although it was originally built in 1514 by Oda Nobuyuki [織田 信行] in memory of his father, Oda Nobuhide [織田 信秀]. Oda Nobuyuki [織田 信行] was executed for treason because he was discovered for planning a revolt against his brother, Oda Nobunaga [織田 信長], the great Samurai, who was considered to be the first Unifier in Japan, after he was pardoned once for the early revolt conspiracy.
The Temple courtyard has many types of trees, especially large bamboos along the stairway to the Great Green Buddha Statue. The courtyard is like a garden, and that makes the Temple very different from other temples in Japan and even other East Asian nations when most other temples generally have large open spacious courtyards in front of the main worship halls. But for Toganji Temple, it is a garden sitting in front of the worship hall.
The Temple’s worship hall ceiling is composed of numerous artistic, but beautiful and elegant, paintings and sculptures which show Indian culture or style. The Temple is similar to a Hindu temple with Deities of Goddess Saraswati [Benzaiten] [which is Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning] and others, but it might be converted into a Buddhist temple in recent years. It is probably because one of the Temple’s high priests studied Buddhism and Hindu Shaivism in India in the past, and thus the Temple has mixed style of Indu religion and East Asian Buddhism, and the Temple’s candle stand in the court yard illustrates that dual religions’ influence.
The Temple is also famous for its great Green Buddha statue which was erected in 1987. The statue is a bronze figure and casted in Kyoto in 1987, and later painted in green in 2006. The Green Buddha statue is surrounded by ten elephants, instead of traditional lotus flower in East Asian Buddhist temples’ Buddha statues. The lower level of the platform or dock carries the 'Three Seals' of Buddhism (impermanence; nonself; nirvana).
Although the Temple is showing some signs of aging, perished in wood structure and exterior roof, the Temple still shows its gracefulness and sophistication, when visitors can feel tranquility and complete freedom from disturbance. In weekdays [non-religious holidays], the Temple does not have visitors, and visitors can enjoy that peace and quiet.
It seems that the Temple does not have many visitors in weekdays and is extremely quiet. Probably, it is the best time for the worshippers to visit and enjoy that peacefulness and serenity.
The Temple is free of entrance admission and can be reached by Nagoya subway’s Higashiyama Line [東山線, H Line] or Meijō Line [名城線. M Line), at Motoyama Station [本山, H16/ M17].
