Gesshō-ji

Gesshō-ji (月照寺) (also known as the "Temple of Moonlight") is a Buddhist temple of the Jōdo-shū sect located in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. It is the family temple of the Matsudaira clan which reigned over the stronghold of Matsue for ten generations, from 1638 to 1871, and houses the tombs of the different lords of the clan. The vast temple, designated a National Historic Site, is particularly renowned for its solemn entrance doors leading to the tombs, which are particularly well preserved.

Within the temple grounds is a large stone turtle on which a huge pillar is planted. According to legend, this pillar was planted in the turtle's back to prevent it from wandering at night as it apparently had become accustomed to. This legend appears in one of the tales of Lafcadio Hearn who worked for more than a year in the city as an English teacher in 1890. The temple is also known as the “temple of hydrangeas” which bloom there by the thousands in June.