As published on Fodor’s Travel: “He Built a Temple Complex to Honor His Mother. What Are You Doing for Mother’s Day?”
While we all generally want to thank our mothers for bringing us into this world in one way or another, industrialist-turned-Buddhist priest, Kozo Kosanji, might have gone a bit overboard. We should be so grateful, though, because now there exists a grand Buddhist temple complex known as Kosanji, built by Kozo as an homage to his late mother.
Kozo started out as a wealthy businessman in Osaka and later became a Buddhist priest to “repay a son’s debt of gratitude to his mother,” as the temple website reveals. It was after her death that he decided to expand the family estate, and no expense was spared. Construction started in 1936 and took more than 30 years to complete. Spread across multiple levels over roughly 12 acres, the temple boasts an excess of 20 unique structures, several gardens, statues, and a couple of other surprises—don’t worry, I’ll get to those later. I’ve been to Kosanji Temple twice, and I still haven’t seen all of it. Truly, it is that massive.