From the “peep hole” located here, look into the structure in front of you. Do you notice the well hidden inside? This well connects this world and the spiritual world. It is said that a man named Takamura Onono used this well as a passage between this world and the realm of the dead.

During the day Takamura Onono worked as a government official, but once the night came, it was said that he would commute to the underworld by passing through this well. The reason? He was the secretary for the king of the underworld himself, Lord Enma. Lord Enma served as the judge who would decide which of these six paths each soul would go down. Inside of the temple grounds, there is a building entitled the “Enma and Takamura Hall,” where you can see statues of the two seated next to each other.

On the grounds, there is also a bell of Rokudo Chin ’ō-ji Temple referred to as the “welcome bell.” Most bells are rung by hitting it to produce the sound, whereas this bell is rung by pulling on it. This space was once a burial ground and a place to see off the departing souls of the dead, but in a sense, it can also be considered a place to welcome the dead. During the “Obon” festival period in Japan, the departed souls of loved ones come back to earth and the people of Kyoto come out in droves to ring the bell. They silently whisper, “Grandfather, I’ve come to welcome you back,” while ringing the “welcome bell.” The sound of the bell reverberates all the way to the underworld calling the spirits of our ancestors to come back above ground.