From Nagoya Station, the bustling industrial hub of central Japan, ride a Meitetsu train fifteen kilometers northwest into the Sobuechō district of Inazawa City in Aichi Prefecture, and you enter a riverside plain along the Kiso River celebrated across Japan for more than ten thousand ancient ginkgo trees that turn brilliant gold each autumn. Amid the quiet rural lanes of Shinmyōzu village stands a traditional Japanese timber compound with silver-gray kawara tile roofs, deep wooden verandas, and a gravel garden flying the five-colored Buddhist flag beside a signboard inscribed Aichi Fukue-ji (愛知福慧寺, Sino-Vietnamese Ái Tri Phước Huệ Tự, Phuoc Hue Pagoda, Aichi).
Growing out of a Vietnamese Buddhist congregation founded in May 2013 in Nagoya under the leadership of Venerable Nun Thích Nữ Như Tâm in close fellowship with Venerable Nun Thích Tâm Trí and the Association of Vietnamese Buddhists in Japan, Phuoc Hue Pagoda acquired and restored a traditional Japanese wooden property without a successor in Inazawa between 2019 and 2020. Its establishment both rescued a piece of local Japanese timber architectural heritage from abandonment and created a warm spiritual home for tens of thousands of Vietnamese technical interns, engineers, students, and families living across the Chūbu region (Aichi, Gifu, and Mie).
IThe ideal of cultivating Merit and Wisdom, Vietnamese Mahāyāna liturgy, and Japanese-Vietnamese Buddhist fellowship
The monastery's title Phước Huệ Tự (福慧寺, read Fukue-ji in Japanese) embodies the foundational Mahāyāna Buddhist practice of cultivating Merit and Wisdom together (Phước Huệ song tu). In Buddhist scripture, the Buddha is revered as the Honored One Complete in Two Attainments (Lưỡng Túc Tôn), having perfected both compassionate merit (Phước, born of generosity, ethical conduct, and mutual aid) and liberating wisdom (Huệ, born of mindfulness, meditation, and insight into impermanence). Naming this monastery Phuoc Hue in the industrial heartland of Aichi offers a gentle reminder to tens of thousands of young Vietnamese workers and engineers laboring in factories: alongside working diligently to support their families (building merit), they can return to the temple on weekends to quiet their minds and study the Dharma (awakening wisdom).
Inside the traditional Japanese timber Main Hall of Phuoc Hue Pagoda, the sanctuary is arranged according to northern-tradition Vietnamese Mahāyāna liturgy, recalling beloved homeland temples such as Quán Sứ Pagoda and Vĩnh Nghiêm Pagoda. Enthroned upon the central dais sits a gilded statue of Śākyamuni Buddha upon a lotus pedestal, accompanied by the Western Pure Land Triad (Amitābha Buddha flanked by Bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta) and the infant Buddha statue. Flanking altars venerate Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Quán Thế Âm) and Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha (Địa Tạng Vương).
Within the classic Japanese architectural setting of sliding shōji screens and fragrant tatami mats, Vietnamese calligraphic banners, bronze incense burners, a bronze bowl bell, and a carved jackfruit-wood wooden fish brought from Vietnam blend seamlessly. The monastery also maintains a solemn ancestral and memorial altar (ban thờ hương linh ký tự) rooted in Vietnamese Ancestor Veneration, caring for the memorial tablets, photographs, and funerary urns of Vietnamese citizens who passed away in the Chūbu region so that they are comforted daily by Vietnamese sutra chanting.
Aichi Prefecture, centered on Nagoya and surrounding industrial cities such as Toyota, Okazaki, Ichinomiya, and Inazawa, forms Japan's premier manufacturing powerhouse for automobiles, aerospace, and precision machinery. Consequently, since the 2010s Aichi has ranked among the top two or three prefectures in Japan with the largest Vietnamese population (especially engineers, technical interns, and specified skilled workers), joining neighboring Gifu and Mie prefectures to form a Chūkyō metropolitan community of tens of thousands of Vietnamese residents. Prior to 2013, this vast central region lying between Tokyo (Kantō) and Osaka (Kansai) had no Vietnamese Buddhist temple of its own, requiring devotees to travel hours by train to attend Tết or Vu Lan services. Phuoc Hue Pagoda filled that spiritual void for all of central Japan.
When studying the history of Phuoc Hue Pagoda in Aichi, readers should note the relationship between two key milestones, May 2013 and 2019 to 2020, as well as the collaboration among Vietnamese Buddhist nuns in Japan. May 2013 marks the founding of Phuoc Hue Pagoda in Aichi by Venerable Nun Thích Nữ Như Tâm, who has served continuously as its Abbot: during its first six years (from 2013 to early 2019), thanks to the generous hospitality and guidance of the Japanese prelate Most Venerable Takaoka Shūchō (abbot of Tokurin-ji, Đức Lâm Temple, in Nagoya), the Phuoc Hue congregation held its services within the grounds of Tokurin-ji. By 2019 to 2020, as the Vietnamese Buddhist community in Aichi grew into the thousands, under the leadership of Abbot Venerable Nun Thích Nữ Như Tâm (who also serves as Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese Buddhists in Japan) and with the fellowship and support of Venerable Nun Thích Tâm Trí (President of the Association of Vietnamese Buddhists in Japan), the temple acquired an uninherited traditional wooden compound in Sobuechō, Inazawa City in April 2019 and completed its restoration as an independent Vietnamese Buddhist monastery in 2020.
IIFrom Tokurin-ji in Nagoya (2013) to a restored traditional timber monastery in Inazawa (2019 to 2020)
The story of Phuoc Hue Pagoda in Aichi illustrates both the warm solidarity between Japanese and Vietnamese Buddhist clergy and a constructive model for revitalizing traditional Japanese wooden buildings facing rural depopulation and lack of successors.
- May 2013Venerable Nun Thích Nữ Như Tâm founds Phuoc Hue Pagoda within Tokurin-ji in NagoyaResponding to the spiritual needs of Vietnamese residents around Nagoya, Venerable Nun Thích Nữ Như Tâm establishes the Phuoc Hue congregation in May 2013. With the support and counsel of Japanese abbot Most Venerable Takaoka Shūchō, the congregation is hosted inside Tokurin-ji (Đức Lâm Temple) in Nagoya.
- 2013 to 2018Growth of the Chūbu congregation and partnership with the national Buddhist AssociationOver six years in Nagoya, Abbot Venerable Nun Thích Nữ Như Tâm (Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese Buddhists in Japan) leads regular One-Day Mindfulness Retreats, Vesak, Vu Lan, and Lunar New Year celebrations while collaborating closely with Venerable Nun Thích Tâm Trí on national charitable initiatives.
- April 2019Acquisition of the traditional wooden compound in Sobuechō, Inazawa CityAs the number of Vietnamese technical interns, engineers, and families across Aichi, Gifu, and Mie outgrows the borrowed Nagoya space, the congregation raises funds to acquire a spacious traditional Japanese wooden estate without a successor at 3192 Jizaemonnishi, Sobuechō Shinmyōzu, Inazawa City in April 2019.
- 2019 to 2020Restoration of Aichi Fukue-ji and humanitarian relief during the COVID-19 pandemicBetween 2019 and 2020, nuns and lay volunteers restore the historic wooden buildings into the permanent sanctuary of Phuoc Hue Pagoda, Aichi (愛知福慧寺). When the COVID-19 pandemic strikes in 2020, the Inazawa monastery immediately serves as a regional relief hub distributing tons of rice and food to distressed Vietnamese workers and students across central Japan.
- 2021 to presentCultural anchor of Chūbu and grassroots bridge in Inazawa CityPhuoc Hue Pagoda flourishes as the principal Vietnamese Buddhist center in the Chūbu region, hosting thousands of worshippers at major festivals and participating actively in multicultural community life in Inazawa.
Across contemporary Japan, thousands of rural temples and traditional timber estates face abandonment as local populations age. The effort by the Vietnamese Buddhist community, led by Venerable Nun Thích Nữ Như Tâm and the Association of Vietnamese Buddhists in Japan, to take over and lovingly restore the wooden compound in Inazawa in 2019 to 2020 was warmly welcomed by local Japanese Buddhists and neighbors: the cypress pillars, silver-gray tile roofs, and sculpted garden trees were preserved intact while being infused with new spiritual vitality by thousands of young Vietnamese worshippers.
IIITraditional Japanese timber heritage harmonized with a Vietnamese Mahāyāna sanctuary
Located in Shinmyōzu village in the Sobuechō district of Inazawa City, Phuoc Hue Pagoda embodies the serene rural craftsmanship of traditional wooden architecture on the Nōbi Plain. Whereas Japan's famous aristocratic and esoteric monasteries such as Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto or Kongōbu-ji on Mount Kōya showcase imperial and mountain grandeur, Phuoc Hue Pagoda preserves the honest joinery and heavy tile roofs of the historic Owari region, warmed inside by the golden hues of Vietnamese Buddhist altar art.
The primary sanctuary is a spacious traditional Japanese wooden structure crowned with heavy silver-gray kawara tiles and supported by mortise-and-tenon cypress beams and pillars. Interior sliding partitions were opened up to create a wide, tatami-lined Three Jewels Hall that remains cool in summer and warm in winter.
At the center of the Main Hall sit gilded Vietnamese statues of Śākyamuni Buddha, the Western Pure Land Triad, Avalokiteśvara, and Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva draped in golden silk, accompanied by a bronze bell, Prajñā drum, and Vietnamese calligraphic scrolls.
Surrounding the timber buildings is a traditional Japanese garden of raked gravel, stepping stones, pruned pine trees, stone lanterns, and tall ginkgo (ichō) trees characteristic of the Sobuechō district that turn golden yellow every November.
A quiet side chapel enshrines the memorial tablets, portraits, and funerary urns of Vietnamese technical interns, engineers, and residents who passed away in Aichi and the Chūbu region, where the resident nuns chant daily requiem prayers.
Rear annex buildings house a large vegetarian kitchen that prepares hundreds of homeland-style meals during retreats, alongside clean guest rooms used to host visiting clergy and provide temporary emergency shelter to Vietnamese workers or students in distress.
The Sobuechō (祖父江町) district where Phuoc Hue Pagoda stands is celebrated throughout Japan as the "Town of Ten Thousand Ginkgo Trees" (Sobue Ginkgo), where century-old ginkgo trees were planted around temples and homesteads to act as windbreaks against the cold winter Ibuki-oroshi wind blowing down from Mount Ibuki. Every late November during the Sobue Ginkgo Autumn Leaves Festival, the entire neighborhood around the pagoda glows in the same golden-yellow hue as a Buddhist monastic robe.
IVLandform and Orientation
It should be stated clearly that the wooden estate in Shinmyōzu, Sobuechō, Inazawa City was acquired in 2019 to 2020 for practical community reasons: providing an independent, spacious compound within easy reach of Nagoya for Vietnamese Buddhists across the Chūbu region. Viewed comparatively through traditional Vietnamese flatland geomancy (phong thủy), however, this riverside plain beside the Kiso River exhibits classic water-dragon attributes.
Situated in central Japan at coordinates 35.2390° N and 136.6873° E, Phuoc Hue Pagoda rests upon the fertile Nōbi Plain (濃尾平野), an alluvial delta formed by the Three Kiso Rivers (Kiso Sansen: the Kiso, Nagara, and Ibi rivers). Just 1.2 kilometers west of the monastery flows the mighty Kiso River (木曽川, 229 kilometers long) descending from the Japanese Alps southward into Ise Bay, while to the east flows the parallel Nikkō River (日光川). In classical flatland geomancy, the maxim holds that on flat plains, water serves as the dragon vein (bình dương dĩ thủy vi long): a site cradled between two major rivers, the Kiso on the right and the Nikkō on the left, creates a configuration of twin rivers embracing the node, gathering abundant vitality across the plain.
In terms of distant mountain backing and local windscreens, rising across the Kiso River to the northwest are Mount Ibuki (1,377 meters) and the Yōrō Mountain Range (養老山地), which form the distant northwest rear backing (hậu chẩm) of the Inazawa plain. To soften the cold winter winds sweeping down from Mount Ibuki, generations of Sobue residents planted dense groves of tall ginkgo trees around every temple and timber compound, creating a living protective forest screen (hộ sơn lâm) that shelters the courtyard and gathers qi. Even the local place names resonate with filial and spiritual meaning: Inazawa (稲沢, Abundant Rice Marsh), Sobue (祖父江, Ancestral Grandfather River), and Shinmyōzu (神明津, Sacred Bright Harbor) harmonize naturally with a monastery dedicated to cultivating Merit and Wisdom.
VOne-Day Mindfulness Retreats, Vu Lan Filial Piety Festival, and Homeland Tết in the Chūbu region
Serving tens of thousands of Vietnamese technical interns, engineers, students, and families across Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures, observances at Phuoc Hue Pagoda combine the traditional Vietnamese lunar calendar with Japanese weekends and holidays so that shift workers from factories around Nagoya can attend.
| Date | Calendar | Observance or Retreat | Spiritual and Cultural Activities at Phuoc Hue Pagoda (Inazawa, Aichi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lunar New Year's Eve and 1st to 15th day of the 1st Lunar Month | Vietnamese lunar calendar (paired with Japanese New Year holidays) | New Year's Eve Service, Spring Peace Prayers, and Chūbu Homeland Tết Gathering | Thousands of Vietnamese youth and families from Nagoya, Toyota, Gifu, and Mie gather for New Year's Eve prayers, Medicine Buddha sutra chanting, spring blessing slips, and traditional vegetarian Tết dishes. |
| 4th Lunar Month (celebrated during Golden Week in early May) | Vietnamese lunar calendar paired with Japan's Golden Week | Grand Vesak Celebration (Buddha's Birthday) and Founding Anniversary of Phuoc Hue Pagoda (May 2013) | Bathing the Infant Buddha rite (Mộc dục), festive sutra chanting, Dharma talks on cultivating Merit and Wisdom, and celebration of the pagoda's founding in Aichi. |
| 7th Lunar Month (celebrated during the mid-August Obon holiday) | Vietnamese lunar calendar paired with Japan's Obon holiday | Vu Lan Filial Piety Festival and Requiem for Departed Overseas Souls | Rose-Pinning Ceremony (Bông hồng cài áo) honoring parents in Vietnam, accompanied by requiem prayers for ancestors and young Vietnamese workers who passed away in central Japan. |
| Monthly Sundays | Regular congregation retreat schedule | One-Day Mindfulness Retreats, Eight Precepts Practice, and Youth Fellowship | Sutra chanting, sitting meditation, practical Dharma discussions for young people working abroad, counseling, and charitable food preparation. |
| 15th day of the 8th Lunar Month and late November | Vietnamese lunar calendar and Sobue autumn season | Children's Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival and Golden Ginkgo Autumn Pilgrimage | Lion dances and Mid-Autumn gifts for children of Vietnamese families in Aichi, followed in late November by autumn retreats amid the golden ginkgo leaves of Sobue. |
On weekends and festival days, young Vietnamese workers arriving from industrial towns across Aichi to sweep golden ginkgo leaves in the courtyard, cook vegetarian meals together, and chant sutras in their mother tongue bring warmth and fellowship to this quiet riverside village along the Kiso River.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Getting there
- From Meitetsu Nagoya Station (名鉄名古屋駅), take the Meitetsu Nagoya Main Line to Kōnomiya Station (国府宮駅) and transfer to the Meitetsu Bisai Line (or travel via Tsushima Station) to Morikami Station (森上駅) in Sobuechō, Inazawa City. From Morikami Station, take a 10-minute taxi ride southwest toward the Kiso River to 3192 Jizaemonnishi, Sobuechō Shinmyōzu to reach Phuoc Hue Pagoda, Aichi.
- Coordinates
- 35.239, 136.6873
When visiting or attending a retreat at Phuoc Hue Pagoda in Inazawa City, please remember that the monastery is located in the quiet rural village of Shinmyōzu in Sobuechō, so visitors walking or driving along the narrow village lanes should keep noise to a minimum and never park cars or bicycles where they might block local residents' driveways or ginkgo orchards. Before stepping into the traditional Japanese wooden Main Hall, please remove your shoes and place them neatly on the racks, wear clean socks on the tatami mats, and dress modestly.
Nearby places in the library
VIIContribute To This Page
Contribute photos, information or video for Phuoc Hue Pagoda, Aichi
Góp ảnh, thông tin hoặc video cho Chùa Phước Huệ Aichi (福慧寺)Everyone is welcome to enrich this page: a photo you took, a detail the page misses, a short video. Every contribution is read and answered.
Thầy Ưng Khiêm mời cộng đồng cùng làm giàu trang này. Ảnh chụp tận nơi, một chi tiết lịch sử chưa được nhắc, một đoạn video ngắn: mọi đóng góp đều được đọc và trả lời.
No community contribution yet. You could be the first. Chưa có đóng góp nào từ cộng đồng. Bạn có thể là người đầu tiên.
?Quick Questions
Where is Phuoc Hue Pagoda located and what role does it play for the Vietnamese community in central Japan?
Phuoc Hue Pagoda, Aichi (愛知福慧寺, Aichi Fukue-ji) is located at 3192 Jizaemonnishi, Sobuechō Shinmyōzu, Inazawa City, Aichi Prefecture (about 15 kilometers northwest of central Nagoya). It is the representative Vietnamese Buddhist monastery of the Chūbu region, serving tens of thousands of Vietnamese technical interns, engineers, students, and families across Aichi, Gifu, and Mie prefectures.
What are the key historical milestones and monastics associated with Phuoc Hue Pagoda in Aichi?
Phuoc Hue Pagoda was founded in May 2013 by its Abbot, Venerable Nun Thích Nữ Như Tâm (Vice President of the Association of Vietnamese Buddhists in Japan), initially holding services within Tokurin-ji (Đức Lâm Temple) in Nagoya through the kindness of Japanese abbot Most Venerable Takaoka Shūchō. Between 2019 and 2020, under Abbot Thích Nữ Như Tâm and in fellowship with Venerable Nun Thích Tâm Trí and the Association of Vietnamese Buddhists in Japan, the temple acquired and restored its permanent traditional wooden compound in Inazawa City.
How does Phuoc Hue Pagoda in Inazawa contribute to preserving traditional Japanese architecture?
The monastery's estate in Sobuechō, Inazawa City was originally a spacious traditional Japanese timber compound facing the risk of abandonment due to rural aging and lack of an heir. By acquiring, restoring, and maintaining the cypress-framed buildings, silver-gray tile roofs, and Japanese garden, the Vietnamese Buddhist community preserved a local architectural heritage site while filling it with new spiritual life.
What Buddhist message is expressed by the name Phuoc Hue Pagoda?
The name Phước Huệ (福慧) comes from the Mahāyāna Buddhist ideal of cultivating Merit and Wisdom together (Phước Huệ song tu): building compassionate merit (Phước) through honest work, ethical living, and helping fellow countrymen in need, while awakening liberating wisdom (Huệ) through mindfulness, meditation, and study of the Buddha's teachings.
How can visitors travel from Nagoya to Phuoc Hue Pagoda in Inazawa City?
From Meitetsu Nagoya Station, take the Meitetsu Railway to Morikami Station (森上駅) on the Meitetsu Bisai Line in the Sobuechō district of Inazawa City. From Morikami Station, it is about a 10-minute taxi ride southwest near the eastern bank of the Kiso River to 3192 Jizaemonnishi, Sobuechō Shinmyōzu, Inazawa City, Aichi Prefecture.