There’s an old temple in Osaka, Japan, that’s about to get a new look. It’s going to be part of a tall hotel building soon. The people who own the hotel shared this news on December 14. Called Mitsutera Temple and it’s in the Chuo area of Osaka.
Mitsutera Temple: History
It’s been there since the year 744, which was during a time in history called the Nara period. The temple is part of a group called the Omuro school, which is part of the Shingon sect. This is a type of Buddhism in Japan. The temple is a special place where people worship the Ten One-Faced Guanyin.
The building that’s there now was finished in 1808. Luckily, it wasn’t destroyed when the US bombed Osaka in 1945. So, it’s been able to stand tall and proud for all these years. And now, it’s getting ready for its next chapter inside a hotel.
Hotel construction project
It is expected that the Candeo Osaka Shinsaibashi hotel, built on the property of the temple, will be inaugurated on November 26, 2023, with 15 floors and 3 basements. In addition to the 180 guest rooms located on the 4th floor and above, the hotel is also equipped with a spa with a sauna and an outdoor swimming pool on the top floor.
The main hall of the temple fits into the first three floors of the hotel, creating an unparalleled sight on Osaka’s Mido-suji Avenue. Guests of Candeo Osaka Shinsaibashi will enter the hotel through the temple’s main hall.
Many of the temple’s rituals, such as morning chanting, meditation, and Buddha painting, are available to guests who stay here.
“There is a lot of rivalry in the hotel sector,” Teruaki Hozumi, Chairman of Candeo Hotel Investor, cried, “but I want to introduce religious experiences like temples to leave a mark for the hotel.”
To preserve the temple, the entire structure was elevated and relocated during preliminary work in 2020 and 2021.
Concerned about the placement of the hotel “encompassing” the precious temple, Tetsuro Kaga, Abbot of Mitsutera Temple, shared: “Because the temple is still intact, the roof will become “結界 – Kekkai,” the boundary between spirituality and the mundane world.
The truth is, being near a Buddha statue can make a hotel stay feel more peaceful. That’s what I think.
The head monk also said something more. He said, “This is a chance for people who follow Buddhism to grow in their faith. It’s also a way to give great experiences to people who live nearby and tourists from all over.”
