Hozenji Temple

Hozenji Temple (法善寺) is a small Pure Land Buddhist temple in Namba, Osaka, and it is free to enter at any hour. Almost everyone comes for one thing: Mizukake Fudo, a moss-covered statue of the guardian deity Fudo Myoo that visitors douse with water while making a wish. The temple is about five minutes on foot from Namba Station and a short walk south of Dotonbori. A visit takes 5 to 15 minutes, which makes it an easy stop rather than a trip in itself.

The moss makes the statue look older than the custom that created it. The temple dates to 1637, when this part of Namba was a district of theaters and storytelling halls. It burned in the 1945 air raids, though the Fudo statue survived. The water-pouring habit is much more recent: sources place its start after World War II, when a local woman began ladling water over the statue. Decades of visitors doing the same have wrapped the figure in thick green moss. Wishes traditionally attached to it include health, business success, and finding a partner.

The precinct is compact. Besides Mizukake Fudo there are a few small halls, including one for Konpira and one for Ohatsu, and a reception desk selling amulets and goshuin stamps. The grounds are open around the clock, while the reception desk keeps daytime hours, commonly listed as 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. After dark the paper lanterns are lit and the courtyard looks its best. This is an active place of worship, so keep your voice down, let people finish their prayers, and do not block the statue for photos.

Hozenji Temple is not the same place as Hozenji Yokocho, the narrow stone-paved alley of restaurants and bars beside it. The alley takes its name from the temple and began as stalls serving worshippers, but it is a dining area with its own hours. If you are already in Namba or Dotonbori, add the temple in passing. It is probably not worth crossing Osaka for on its own.