is a kind of Buddhist temple. Ankoku-ji may mean "Temple for National Pacification". There are numerous Ankoku-ji throughout Japan and the world. It is a homonym with 暗黒, ankoku as in darkness, evil.
The Ankoku-ji system was developed under the Ashikaga shogunate, as part of its stabilizing the country. The Fudoin Temple within Higashi-ku, Hiroshima, for example, was built by Shōgun Takauji Ashikaga as one of 60 Ankoku-ji temples which were constructed in all provinces across Japan, in the 14th century.
Specific ones in Japan include:
Ankoku-ji (Aichi), located in Kōta, Aichi Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Aira), located in Aira, Kagoshima Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Ayabe), located in Ayabe, Kyoto Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Azumino), located in Azumino, Nagano Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Chinoshi), located in Chino, Nagano Prefecture Fudoin Temple in Higashi-Ku, Ushita-shinmachi, Hiroshima. Ankoku-ji (Fukuoka), located in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Fukuyama), located in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Gifu), located in Ikeda, Gifu Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Ichikawa), located in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Iki), located in Iki, Nagasaki Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Iwanuma), located in Iwanuma, Miyagi Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Katori), located in Katori, Chiba Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Kitakyushu), located in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Kunisaki), located in Kunisaki, Ōita Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Kurume), located in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Kitakyushu), located in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Kyōto), located in Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Naha), located in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Nankan), located in Nankan, Kumamoto Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Odowara), located in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Saikai), located in Saikai, Nagasaki Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Satsumasendai), located in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Shimotsuke), located in Shimotsuke, Tochigi Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Takarazuka), located in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Takayama), located in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Toyooka), located in Toyooka, Hyōgo Prefecture Ankoku-ji (Yonago), located in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture
Further reading