A Nichiren Buddhist temple on the wooded hillside northwest of central Kumamoto, and the burial place of Kato Kiyomasa. The complex spreads up the slope through a long succession of gates and halls, culminating in the steep stone stairway to Kato's tomb. The climb is hard work but the view back across the city is excellent.
Honmyō-ji is busiest in late July, when the Kato festival commemorates the warlord's death. The rest of the year it is quiet, and the cedar-shaded grounds make for one of the calmest hours in Kumamoto.