Banna-ji 大日尊 鑁阿寺

Ancient temple with a moat

Before I visited, I read up on this curious site. It's noted as one of Japan's top 100 castle sites besides having some of the oldest temple structures in the Kanto region. It's easy to get here as it's in the center of the old district of Ashikaga City, just a 15-minute walk from the nearest train station. So, why is it listed as a top 100 castle site? The Ashikaga clan built a fortified residence, essentially a castle, nearly a millennia ago. If I understand correctly, the gates and moat are the vestiges of the residence and transformed into Bannaji, the Shingon Buddhist temple that stands today. The temple's hondo is one of the oldest of its kind with Zen architectural features and dates from the 1200s and updated 200 years after. The massive 600-year-old ginkgo tree in front of the hondo is stunning even in summer when it's green. I want to go back in autumn to see it turn gold. The temple is open with no admission fee.