Manga “Jujutsu Kaisen” Draws Fans to Senkoji Temple

The growing popularity of the manga series ” Jujutsu Kaisen ” (呪術廻戦) has led fans of the series to visit the place associated with one of their favorite characters in a temple in central Japan.

This site is Senkoji Temple in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, where Ryomen Sukuna , a two-headed, four-armed monster featured in Nihonshoki (Chronicles of Japan) who rebelled against the imperial court during the Yamato period, is worshipped. in the history of Japan.

Interestingly, in the Hida region (Gifu Prefecture), the monster Ryomen Sukuna is considered a hero and benefactor of the land. Legend has it that 1,600 years ago, he was the leader of a powerful clan that discovered the mountain where Senkoji Temple was later built and ruled the entire region. Many statues of him can be found in this temple.

And it is that Ryomen Sukuna is also the name of one of the key antagonists of the ” Jujutsu Kaisen ” series, this being a high school boy who joins a secret organization to fight against the spirits that bring misfortune to people.

Thanks to this “anime pilgrimage”, that is, visiting the places where anime series or feature films are set, Senkoji Temple has received many visitors from outside the region and to help them learn more about the revered deity Ryomen Sukuna , the priest Daien Oshita has opened a ” Sukuna Room ” open to the public on weekends. The special opening of the hall, previously limited to Buddhist memorial services, is expected to last until the end of the year.

Priest Oshita has also opened a trial display of two Ryomen Sukuna statues at the back of the main hall as he thinks that ” learning about the history of Ryomen Sukuna from different angles will make people think about good and good. ” the evil “

The “anime pilgrimage” has turned out to be a social phenomenon that is often not limited to anime fans and aficionados. Series that are set in different parts of Japan such as Erased (Hokkaido), Kamisama Hajime Mashita (Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture) or feature films such as the Sword Art Online movie (Tokyo), Summer Wars (Nagano) or 5 centimeters per second (Tochigi , Tokyo) have experienced a certain boost in tourism in the area and now it is the turn of ” Jujutsu Kaisen ” in the city of Takayama, Gifu Prefecture.

The ” Jujutsu Kaisen ” manga published in Weekly Shonen Jump since March 2018 has achieved a large following, also publishing in English since 2019 and with a 24-episode animated series from October 2020 to March 2021 in Japan. A feature film of the series is even scheduled to be released later this year.

Have you read this manga or seen the anime of ” Jujutsu Kaisen “? Would you like to go on an “anime pilgrimage” to Senkoji Temple? Tell us in the comments!

Gifu is very easy to get to by train , including the super- fast Shinkansen or bullet train , making it a comfortable ride from Tokyo. And although it is possible to travel by plane, bus or boat, the train offers the best prices and convenience of all . To have an even better price, we recommend traveling with the Japan Railways universal pass called JR PASS , which can be purchased on their website. This pass is purchased before traveling to Japan , arriving at the airport or at any train station , you can pick up your pass with proof of purchase .