jan 1, 593 - Empress Suiko accepts Buddhism

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When Empress Suiko delcared her acceptance of Buddhism, in the same year, Prince Shotoku ordered the construction of Shitennoji Temple which is located today in Osaka.

Shitennoji temple is considered Japan's oldest official temple. Shotoku named the temple after the shitenno: four heavenly kings of Buddhist tradition who guard the world from evil. The prince had prayed to these kings during a time of war, and when the war was over he had the temple built in order to give thanks.

Most of the buildings of the temple have been destroyed by fire and rebuilt several times. Several of the current buildings date from the 1960's and 1970's.

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