Kokusei Zenji Temple — Website for a Historic Zen Temple on Awaji Island
A calm, informative website for Kokusei Zenji Temple, the only Ōbaku Zen Buddhist temple on Awaji Island, bringing its history, cultural treasures, seasonal peonies and visitor experiences into a clear digital home.
We designed and developed Kokusei Zenji Temple’s website as a welcoming introduction to a place of worship, cultural heritage and quiet discovery on Awaji Island. The site helps visitors understand the temple’s story, experience its atmosphere and find the information they need before visiting or getting in touch.
A digital entrance to Awaji Island’s only Ōbaku Zen temple.
Kokusei Zenji Temple is an Ōbaku Zen Buddhist temple in Minamiawaji, Hyogo, founded in the middle of the Edo period and dedicated to Shakyamuni Buddha. Its grounds bring together the main hall, mountain paths, tea room and a collection of paintings and historic cultural objects.
The temple is especially known for its peonies, Daruma prayers and works by Nanga painter Gyokusei Jikihara, a former head priest who led its postwar revival. We organised these varied stories into a clear, approachable website for worshippers, local people and travellers alike.
- CLIENT
- Kokusei Zenji Temple
- SCOPE
- Website strategy, content planning, design, development, photography coordination and CMS
- FOCUS
- Temple heritage, visitor guidance, cultural experiences and independent updates
Give a rich temple experience a clear path for different kinds of visitors.
Kokusei Zenji Temple has much more to share than a single visit can reveal: a long history, Ōbaku Buddhism, Daruma prayers, seasonal peonies, Nanga paintings, tea gatherings and memorial services. The website needed to preserve the temple’s calm character while making each subject easy to find for a first-time visitor, a participant in an event or a family seeking guidance.
Let people arrive through the stories that matter to them.
Shape a home for the temple’s distinct heritage
We planned the site structure and page content around the temple’s essential stories: its Ōbaku tradition, Shakyamuni Buddha, Daruma prayer, peonies and the Nanga works of former head priest Gyokusei Jikihara.
Make the grounds and cultural treasures feel visitable
Professional photography was coordinated to introduce the buildings, gardens, peonies, artworks and events. Visitor pages explain the main hall’s sliding-door paintings, the storehouse collection, the relocated Jikian tea room and the grounds’ haiku-lined mountain paths.
Connect experiences to practical next steps
Dedicated event information presents meditation sessions, Nanga painting experiences, peony festivals and tea gatherings. Clear access and enquiry information helps people plan a visit, while an easy-to-use CMS lets the temple publish announcements and blog updates independently.
A lasting online home for worship, culture and seasonal discovery.
The completed website gives Kokusei Zenji Temple a considered platform for communicating its history and present-day role in the community. Visitors can explore the temple’s spaces and artworks, discover experiences such as beginner-friendly Zen meditation and Nanga painting, and find clear access or contact details from any device.
With the CMS in place, the temple team can continue sharing event news, seasonal peony information and notices in their own voice.
