Benten-dō Temple – Tokyo, Japan - Atlas Obscura
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Benten-dō Temple

Tokyo, Japan

A Buddhist temple on an artificial island that houses a monument to the fugu fish. 

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The temple pictured from the side. Fred Cherrygarden (Atlas Obscura User)
The Fugu Memorial Monument. Fred Cherrygarden (Atlas Obscura User)
The monument for the pufferfish. Fred Cherrygarden (Atlas Obscura User)
The Eyeglasses Monument. Fred Cherrygarden (Atlas Obscura User)
An archway of Benten-dō, seen from behind. Fred Cherrygarden (Atlas Obscura User)
A monument dedicated to knives and all the lives of the animals that they took. Fred Cherrygarden (Atlas Obscura User)
A monument dedicated to the spirits of poultry. Fred Cherrygarden (Atlas Obscura User)
The Sensu Monument and a jizo. Fred Cherrygarden (Atlas Obscura User)
The chōzuya, traditional Shinto pavilion for ablution. Fred Cherrygarden (Atlas Obscura User)
Ugajin, the serpent-bodied god identified with Benzaiten. Fred Cherrygarden (Atlas Obscura User)
A monument dedicated to the biwa lute. Fred Cherrygarden (Atlas Obscura User)
Outdoor Incense Burner and Shrine at Bentendo. Scribbling Geek (Atlas Obscura User)
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Part of the vast Kan’ei-ji temple complex, Benten-dō Temple is located on a small artificial island on the Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park, surrounded by lotus flowers and food stalls. While the temple itself is fairly well-known, visitors may not realize that it is home to more than a few obscure and unusual monuments.

One of those is the Fugu Tsuitō-hi, or the Blowfish Memorial. It was dedicated by the Tokyo Fugu Cuisine Association to the spirits of the fugu, a type of pufferfish that is sought after for sushi despite containing a deadly neurotoxin. The monument is offered in gratitude, and in the hope that there are no future deaths by poisoning.

Another notable one is the Eyeglasses Monument, which is dedicated to the people who contributed to the evolution of eyeglasses. It depicts the spectacles of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of Japan’s last shogunate. There are many more small monuments in the property, including ones of the biwa (Japanese lute), shamisen strings, sensu (Japanese hand fans), suppon (softshell turtle), calendar, knives, fish and poultry.

Know Before You Go

Benten-dō Temple is a five minute walk from Ueno Station, right next to the Benten Gate-side entrance of the Ueno Zoo.

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Fred Cherrygarden
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Fred Cherrygarden
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Scribbling Geek, astrohans, Pierfrancesco, agresti, ZJOD
Published
February 28, 2020
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Nearby
Shitamachi Museum
0.16 miles
'Fugetsu En'nen'
0.16 miles
Ueno Daibutsu
0.18 miles
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