1. Home
  2. Chugoku
  3. Yamaguchi Prefecture
  4. Yamaguchi City
  5. Places
  6. Ryufukuji
Temple · Yamaguchi · Chugoku

Ryufukuji

龍福寺

Buddhist temple founded in the Kenei era and relocated in 1557, built on former Ouchi clan lands and maintained as a museum to their history.

The main hall of Ryupuku-ji Temple, Yamaguchi
The main hall of Ryupuku-ji Temple, Yamaguchi © TT mk2, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Access
119, Odonooji, Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi
〒 753-0093
How to get there
Nearest stationKami-Yamaguchi Station
上山口
Yamaguchi Line8 min walk from the station
Nearest bus stop野田2 min walk from the bus stop

The Ryufuku-ji Temple is located in Yamaguchi City and was founded during the Kenei era (1206-1207). In 1551, it suffered severe damage during a rebellion against Yoshitaka Ouchi and was burned to the ground. In 1557, Takamoto Mori relocated and restored the temple to its current location, which was the former site of the Ouchi clan, and made it the family temple of Yoshitaka, who had committed suicide. Unfortunately, the temple suffered another fire in 1881, leaving only a portion of the temple gate intact. In 1883, the Shaka-do Hall from the Hikamizan Kohyu-ji Temple was relocated to Ryufuku-ji and became the main hall. In 1954, the main hall was designated as an important cultural property. This led to preservation and repair efforts, which involved restoring the later remodeling parts to their original state from the Muromachi period. As Ryufuku-ji was built on the site of the Ouchi clan, almost the entire temple precinct is also maintained as a museum dedicated to the Ouchi clan.

Getting There

Map: Getting to Ryufukuji. Legend: Yamaguchi Line; Ube Line; Sanyo Shinkansen. Labelled stations: Shin-Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, Tokuyama, Kami-Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi.

Planning a trip? Fit this into a trip and Oni plans the rest around it.

At Hey Japan!, we strive to keep the places listed on our website as current as possible. However, location owners or management may alter opening times or modify admission requirements without prior notice. Check official websites before visiting.

Nearby

Places nearby

Shrine

Noda Shrine

Shrine honoring Mori Takachika, the last daimyo of Choshu Domain and central figure in the Meiji Restoration.

Yamaguchi
Shrine

Toyosaka Shrine

Yamaguchi shrine dedicated to Mori Motonari, the Sengoku-period warlord who unified the Chugoku region and established the powerful Mori clan.

Yamaguchi
Museum

Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum

Art museum in Yamaguchi dedicated to regional and international works in multiple mediums with educational programs and scenic garden grounds.

Yamaguchi
Keep exploring

You might also like

Temple

Kozan-ji

A Buddhist temple in Yamaguchi featuring two national treasure halls from the Kamakura period, including one built in 1320.

Shimonoseki · Yamaguchi
Temple

Daiju-ji

Pure Land Buddhist temple in Okazaki, founded in 1475 by Matsudaira Chikayoshi to honour the war dead, and the ancestral temple of the Tokugawa shoguns.

Okazaki · Aichi
Temple

Tofukuji Temple

Tofukuji is one of Kyoto's great Zen temples, celebrated for its sweeping maple valley and the modern garden surrounding the abbot's quarters.

Kyoto
Festival

Ube Festival

The largest festival of Ube in Yamaguchi, built on the Nanban Ondo, a dance that came out of the coal mines, with parades and a float drawn at the end.

1 Nov 2026Ube · Yamaguchi
Festival

Yanai Goldfish Lantern Festival

A summer festival where 4,000 decorated goldfish lanterns cast a spellbinding glow over the town, alongside a spirited Goldfish Nebuta procession.

13 Aug 2027Exact date not confirmed yetYanai · Yamaguchi