The temple of Shôkoku-ji, officially Mannenzan Shôkoku Joten Zenji, is the second of the Kyoto Gozan, the five leading Rinzai Zen temples in Kyoto during the medieval period. Tucked away into a quiet area in northern Kyoto, the silent remains of its original Entrance Gate (Sanmon) and Buddha Hall (Butsuden), now shaded with the intermingling branches of pine and cypress trees, remind the visitor of its former glory.

Shôkoku-ji was built under the auspices of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1408), with the Buddha Hall (Butsuden) completed in 1394 (Shitoku 1). Thereafter, however, the complex was ravaged by fire and rebuilt numerous times. The final great fire, in 1788 (Tenmei 8), burned down almost all the main temple buildings, leaving only the Dharma Hall (Hattô) and the Imperial Gate (Chokushimon) intact. A painting entitled Famous Places in the Capital (J., Miyako meisho zu-e), dating to 1780 (An'ei 9), depicts quite accurately the appearance of the temple precincts before the Tenmei-erafire.

The Chinese characters used in the temple's name are often mistakenly read "Shôkoku-ji". but the proper pronunciation is "Shôkoku-ji". This reading is confirmed by a notation on the aforementioned Famous Places in the Capital painting, which names the temple "Shôkoku-ji". The characters for "shôkoku" mean "a person who helps the country", deriving from a Chinese word meaning "prime minister", while "ji" means "temple". This name is thought to reflect the fact that the temple was built by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

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