Tennō-ji (Okinawa)

Tennō-ji (天王寺) was a Rinzai Buddhist temple and royal bodaiji of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, located in Naha, Okinawa.

Tennō-ji was the house of Shō En before he ascended the throne. Shō Shin was born here. The house changed in usage and became a Buddhist temple during the reign of King Shō Shin (r. 1477–1526). It also used as bodaiji of Ryukyuan queens. Ryukyuan king should visit Enkaku-ji, Tennō-ji and Tenkai-ji after his genpuku and investiture.

Ryukyu was annexed by Japan in 1879, and Tennō-ji was closed in the same year and buddharupa, spirit tablets and bonshō were moved to Enkaku-ji. The main hall (本殿) was used as a classroom of a school; the western part of the temple was bought by Methodists who built a church on it. It was destroyed in the 1945 battle of Okinawa.