SHOSAN-JI BUS STOP
焼山寺バス停ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA DAY 3

Day 3 (Anrakuji →) Fujii-dera →Shosanji (→ Kamiyama)
Distance and elevation

Jinsei mo, ohenro mo, yama mo ari, tani mo ari		“In life, and along the pilgrimage, there are mountains and there are valleys”

TEMPLE #12
SHOSAN-JI
焼山寺

人生も、
お遍路も、
山もあり、
谷もあり:

一本杉庵 IPPONSUGI-AN(SUGI CEDAR TREE)

Total walking distance approximately 16.5 km

TEMPLE #11
FUJII-DERA
藤井寺

CHODO-AN
長戸庵
TEMPLE HALLRYUSUI-AN 柳水庵
REST SHELTER

Fujii-dera → Shosanji bus stop:
Distance: 16.5 km/ 10.3 miles
Elevation: + 1083 / - 873 m

Overview
Walking course options
RECOMMENDED WALKING COURSE:
After breakfast, transfer by 8:00am pre-reserved/paidtaxi (cost covered in the tour) to Temple #11 Fujii-dera.
Buy items for a picnic lunch at a convenience store enroute. Today’s walk is through forests and includes someof the longest and toughest mountain trails up and overthree peaks, a section that is colloquially known as henrokorogashi, the “pilgrim tumbler”.
Ascend to Ipponsugi-an, a huge and ancient sugi cedar
tree, under which serenely stands a statue of Kobo Daishi,
and pass through a delightful farming hamlet before finallyarriving at Temple#12 Shosan-ji, surrounded by old andvenerable sugi trees. After persuing the temple grounds,
descend another 〜3km to the hamlet below and transfer by
reserved/pre-paid 16:30 taxi to your accommodation in
nearby Kamiyama, renowned for its healing onsen hot springbaths. Kamiyama means ‘Mountains of the Gods’ and you
may relax with a well-earned onsen bask at accommodation
here before enjoying a Japanese kaiseki banquet, composedof many delicious dishes.

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DAY 3 ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA

Overview
Walking course options (continued)
RELAXED COURSE OPTION: SHORTEN THE WALK
If you would prefer a more relaxed pace (or 1000m /3550 ft. ofascent is not the ideal walking menu today), you may choose to
cut off the walk’s initial 7km / 4.3 miles and 586m /1923 ft. ofelevation gain by asking the pre-reserved taxi to take you on to
Ryusui-an 柳水庵. To do so, please communicate or show the taxi
driver the following text on arrival at Temple #11 Fujii-dera:

藤井寺を見てきてから途中の「柳水庵」
までお願いしたいです。
ちょっと待っていてもらえますか?
Fujii-dera-wo mitekite-kara tochuu-no “Ryusui-an”-made onegai
shitai desu. Chotto matteite moraemasu ka?

（“After visiting Fujii-dera, I would like you to take me/us to‘Ryusui-an’. Can you wait please?”)＊The cost of this transfer is also included in the tour, but if
any confusion with the taxi driver, please do not hesitate tocontact our offices.
*Ryusui-an has a shelter and is the picnic lunch point on therecommended course, but you may choose another point toeat further along the trail (Shosan-ji temple also has a covered
resting area in the nokyo-sho office). From Ryusui-an, youwill walk 9.5km / 6 miles (approximately 500m elevation gain)
along undulating forest terrain to Temple #12 Shosan-ji andthe bus stop below.

SKIPPING THE WALK
If weather or health preclude you from walking today, you may
take the pre-reserved/paid taxi with your luggage all the way to
the next accommodation in Kamiyama. In this case, please contact
our offices, so that we may confirm with the taxi company andnegotiate your early arrival in Kamiyama.

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ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA DAY 3

Recommended Course
Schedule Itinerary Summary
7:00am Breakfast*An (often loud) morning announcement will be made to alert				
you that breakfast is prepared.
8:00 Reserved taxi (pre-paid by Walk Japan/Japan Travel Company office).
＊8:05-8:20 Buy picnic lunch at 7-11 convenience store en route★Please remember to buy extra water on a hot day (1-1.5L recommended) as
there are no vending services available on the walk until Temple #12 Shosan-ji.
8:30-8:45 Arrive at Temple #11 Fujii-dera 藤井寺
8:45-9:00am Begin you walk from Temple #11 Fujii-dera
11:45-12:00 Arrive Ryusui-an 柳水庵 temple hall/rest shelter＊LUNCH： Rest and have your picnic lunch (★This is also the alternative taxi
drop-off point if you have skipped the initial 7km / 586m gain from Fujii-dera.)										12:30 (or before) Depart Ryusui-an
FROM RYUSUI-AN, IT IS APPROXIMATELY 6KM /3.7 MILES (-480M/+560M ELEVATION) TO TEMPLE #12
SHOSANJI, FOLLOWED BY 3KM /1.9 MILES AND 450M DESCENT TO THE BUS STOP (★AIMING FOR THE
LONE VIABLE BUS DEPARTURE AT 16:31). IF WORRIED ABOUT TIMING, PLEASE DEPART EARLIER.
14:45-15:00 Arrive at Temple #12 Shosan-ji 焼山寺
15:15-15:30 Depart from Temple #12 Shosan-ji (3km/-450m from here to bus stop.)

16:30 Reserved Taxi at Nabeiwa hamlet (Shosanji bus stop)(★Note: This is 〜3km and -430m elevation descent from the temple. I you would preferto be picked up at the Shosan-ji temple parking lot, please contact us in advance.)
1６:45 Arrive/Check-in to accommodation: Kamiyama Onsen: Hotel Shiki-no-sato
					

		

神山温泉ホテル四季の里*Enjoy bathing in the local onsen hot spring before dinner.

18:30/19:00 Dinner

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DAY 3 ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA

8:00AM Reserved TAXI
A taxi will arrive in front of your accommodation at 8:00am (or before).
Please ride in this taxi with your LUGGAGE to Temple #11 Fujii-dera.
En route, the taxi has been asked to stop at a convenience store (usually 7-Eleven, five-ten
minutes away) so that you may buy your PICNIC LUNCH for today. There are no other vendors/
options along the recommended walking course, so please be sure to buy enough water (1-1.5L
recommended) and food for a more challenging/energy-expending day today. PLEASE CONFIRM
that the taxi is stopping at the the convenience store conbini コンビニ (pronounced “cone-beeknee”), or show them the below text in Japanese:

途中でコンビニに寄ってもらえますか?
Tochu-de konbini-ni yotte moraemasu ka?

(“Can we please stop at a convenience store en route?”)*After dropping you off, the taxi will take your luggage on to accommodation.
*Please manage your time wisely and be ready for the taxi when it arrives. If worried about thepacing of the recommended course, you may ask the front desk (or call our offices) to arrange an
earlier taxi pick-up. Please make sure it is the same reserved taxi paid through Walk Japan/Japan
Travel Company. We do not recommend a later taxi pick-up, unless very confident in your own
pace on rougher/more challenging terrain.
-------RELAXED COURSE OPTION: If you choose to cut off the initial 7km/586m of the walk today, the taxi
will wait for you to finish your visit of Temple #11 Fujii-dera and then take you on to Ryusui-an, therest/lunch point on the full walking course. The cost of this transfer is also covered in the tour. To doso, ask the taxi to wait in the parking lot, while you (ideally expediently) visit and get your stamp. If
communication is an issue, you may point to the below sentence in Japanese:

藤井寺を見てきてから途中の「柳水庵」
までお願いしたいです。
ちょっと待っていてもらえますか?
Fujii-dera-wo mitekite-kara tochuu-no “Ryusui-an”-made ongai shitai desu. Chotto matteite
moraemasu ka?
（“After visiting Fujii-dera, I would like you to take me/us to ‘Ryusui-an’. Can you wait please?”)＊If any problems with communication, please do not hesistate to contact our offices.
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ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA DAY 3

Overview Map (Full Course 〜16.5km):

Temple #11 Fujii-dera →Temple#12 Shosan-ji→Shosan-ji bus stop
TEMPLE #11 FUJII-DERA(TAXI DROPOFF POINT)(TEMPLE #6
ANRAKU-JI)RYUSUI-AN(PICNIC SHELTER)TEMPLE #12
SHOSAN-JISHOSAN-JI BUS STOP(TAXI PICKUP POINT)

KAMIYAMA TOWN
KAMIYAMA ONSEN
HOTEL SHIKI-NO-SATO

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DAY 3 ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA・ On arrival at the Fujii-dera parking lot, use the rest rooms here (lastplumbing available until Shosan-ji temple). Then turn left to50m
ascend up the concrete path to the temple grounds.

Temple #11: Fujii-dera 藤井寺
Main deity: Yakushi Nyorai
Said to be founded by Kukai in 815, but again following multiple fires, the current main halldates to 1860. The statue of the Medicine Buddha inside is the only remnant of the original
temple, said to have been carved by the Great Teacher himself...despite an inscription dating
it to 1148. Kobo Daishi is also said to have planted a fuji (Japanese Wisteria) in front of thetemple grounds, thus giving it its name. Shifting from Shingon to Zen Buddhist denomination(after a rebuliding in 1674) the temple is one of three to have done so along the pilgrimage.
It is also unique among the 88 in that it is the only one to use the suffix “dera” instead of “ji”,(both meaning “temple”). This is likely in homage to a larger temple in Osaka of the same namefounded in 725, which is charged with protecting the nation and Imperial household.
VISIT: Entering the grounds through the Nio-mon guard gate, there is a large biwa (Eriobotrya
japonica) loquat tree just before it (prized for folk medicinal benefits, these are planted on
many temple grounds throughout Japan). Pass a wisteria trellis and the bonsho temple bell. A
few more stairs up and the nokyo-sho stamp office is on your immediate right with the main
Hondo temple hall and statue of Kobo Daishi ahead. The Daishi-do hall is also to the right here.
A sub-hall dedicated to Fudomyou, the Immovable One, as well as a unique hexagonal hall
dedicated to Hakuryu-Benzaiten 白龍弁財天 “White dragon goddess of flowing things” (*seecultural note on next page) may be found on the left.
On fuji (Japanese wisteria) in particular:

Fuji 藤 Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) may be seen flowering
throughout the mountainsides in May, often intertwined with kuzu 葛(Pueraria montana) Japanese arrowroot and shime-koroshi 絞め殺し (Ficus
aurea), the Strangler fig. Native to Japan and prevalent, it is often used
as a symbol in kamon family crests, no doubt due to both its beautyand persistence. Propagating the vine into a sturdy garden ornamental,
however, is another matter, as it often doesn’t establish well and takes time (often years) tostrengthen. The oldest examples of ornamental fuji may be found in temple gardens, as they
were commonly located on mountainsides with ideal climates for growing the vine. Temples
also had the capacity to grow non-edible plants (a luxury in pre-modern times). Protected wellinto maturity on the grounds, many temples gained a reputation for the grandeur of theirwisteria arrangements... no doubt, a common villager of the Heian Period, seeing a trained
fuji in full bloom, would be convinced that Buddha had a hand in the universe. Wisteria soon
came to take on a greater significance in the Buddhist tradition: The plant’s royal purple motif
was added to the ornate garments of head priests, the hanging tendrils of the plant’s flowers
likened to bowing in deference to Buddha, and purple a symbol of the “welcoming approach”
of Amidha Buddha to those on their death beds (riding a purple cloud to meet them). Alongwith pine (symbol of endurance and strength) and loquat (a traditional panacea), many
Buddhist temple gardens became botanic reflections of the value and beauty of human life.
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ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA DAY 3

Recommended course walking directions:Temple #11 Fujiidera 〜 Temple #12 Shosan-ji (〜 Shosan-ji bus stop)・After visiting Fujii-dera and obtaining yourtemple stamp, you will start up the mountain
trail next to (i.e. left when facing) the main
hondo hall. Passing by the statue of Kukai/
Kobo Daishi and a stone placard monument,
pilgrim signs point up the intial stone steps
and path. (＊DO NOT take the path left
through the Shinto stone torii gate).

The beginning of this concrete path up is the start of a “mini-88” loop
course around the temple grounds, representing the entire pilgrimage.
The “log” guard rail lining this path will stop,and you will reach a point with a wooden sign
焼山寺 (“Shosan-ji”, Temple 12) pointing left.

120m

Turn left here to pass between two
hokora 祠(mini-shrines) and continue
along the hokora-lined forest trail.

ESPECIALLY IN DAMP, LEAFY CONDITIONS, TAKE CARE TO WATCH OUT FOR ANY
SNAKE ACTIVITY ALONG THE TRAIL. JAPANESE PIT VIPERS (GLOYDIUS BLOMHOFFI,
マムシ MAMUSHI ) ARE ESPECIALLY VENOMOUS AND SHOULD NOT BE APPROACHED.
IF BITTEN, SEEK IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION.
Of cultural note, snakes (and by extension serpent/dragons) are often considered protectors of mountainsprings. This life-giving water is considered a blessing for the rice fields,as well as a curse during typhoonseason when flashfloods are common. The colloquial term for this flooding is januke 蛇抜け or “the snake
coming through” and many rituals in mountain villages pertain to “appeasing the white snake”... One may
imagine seeing a snake/dragon in the white waters of a typhoon flashflood as it cascades toward the village.

Remain true to the straight path and soon
ascend a steep flight of log steps. The small
white sign with green lettering here says へんろ
ころがし henro-korogashi, or “pilgrim tumbler”.
This designates that one should exercise
caution on rougher terrain ahead.
530m
Reach the benches and road at the top and take a breather.
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DAY 3 ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA						★TAKE EXTRA CARE: The stone sign at the intersecting
road here may seem to point left, but as you can see,it means first go right then soon left up the trail slope
opposite.
Continue ever up and soon have a view across
Yoshinogawa City 吉野川市 (named after Shikoku’s
second largest river). Reach a concrete lane going up.

300m

FROM HERE IT IS APPROXIMATELY 6KM / 3.7 MILES TO THE RYUSUI-AN LUNCH BREAK
AND 12KM /7.5 MILES TO TEMPLE #12 SHOSAN-JI.
					Continue straight and up where the road
splits ahead. Pass a rest point shelterwith a view, a good spot for a breather.
100m

There is a longer strech of rocky
ascent (slippery in the wet) ahead anda point to rest at a henro-michi stone/
Jizo statue and larger etched rockmonument. This says “right to Temple#12” in Japanese (i.e. continue straightahead). The path flattens from here.
1 KM

The path is gently undulating for the next
700m. Reach the Mizu-Daishi
700m
水大師 water spring, one of two
famous points on the pilgrimage
that Kobo Daishi is said to have struck
with his staff to bring forth water. Passstatues for Kobo Daishi and Fudomyo, theImmovable One, good indications that asteeper up awaits.

Vegetation note:

The sugi cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) and hinoki cypress(Chamaecyparis obtusa) timber forest here is interspersed with native varieties of cherry,
beech and oak tree. Flowering camellia, dogwood, magnolia and azalea are also prevalent,and shide fern lines the trail. If lucky, you may spot mamushi-gusa ムシグサ (Arisaema
serratum, literally “pit viper grass”), a Jack-in the pulpit variety that resembles the viper’s
pattern on its stem, as well as develops a berry/fruit shaped much like a snake’s head.
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ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA DAY 3〜5km / ３ miles

CHODO-AN HALLTEMPLE #11 FUJII-DERA

MIZU-DAISHISPRING

Vegetation note:

Keep your eyes peeled for the distinctive
leaves (and smell) of the sansho plant (Zanthoxylum piperitum, or“Japanese pepper”), which often grows wild in this forest terrain.
Both the leaves and the pepper berry/seed of this plant are used as acondiment and garnish in your evening meals.
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DAY 3 ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA

・Continue up the steep and potentiallyslippery stone path soon ahead (100m),
then progressively up for the next 600m
before a brief down to a temple hall called
Chodo-an 長戸庵. There is a compost
toilet here to the right of the statue(however, the sign in Japanese says that itis reserved for women and that there is atoilet for men at the next rest stop).

700m

You have travelled approximately 3.5km from Temple #11 Fujii-dera, and it is another 3.4km to Ryusui-an rest shelter/picnic spot.

・Continue straight ahead and up (IGNORE
white sign with red lettering that points to theright), and reach one of the better view pointsof the valley, with the the Yoshino River in full
relief.

300m

・The path is undulating for the
next 600m, then a stiff climb up
log-like concrete steps for the
next 550m. ＊Take care on rocky
potentially slippery descents, aswell as roots sticking out of thepath. Continue ever straight.
★Reach a bench and a sign pointing
to the left. DO NOT continue straight.
Instead go left, following a sign to
SYOSANJI. A sign in Japanese here
points you “1.8km and approximately
35minutes” to 柳水庵 (Ryusui-an), yourlunch spot.

1.4km

・On gentle forest terrain for the next 600m,
800m
the path merges with another wider one. Follow
signs and the intuitive path pointing right. In
another 200m reach a a Jizo statue and wooden
post at a fork in the path.

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ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA DAY 3・Follow intuitive signs/arrows right at the fork,
and soon follow more signs left up the narrowing
trail.

This up is short and soon becomes a narrow down
on rougher terrain. Approximately 500m on, there
is a final stretch of stone switchback steps down.
＊Another “pilgrim tumbler”, please take care on
slippery, moss-covered stones..

900m

Reach Ryusui-an 柳水庵 Temple Hall.
You have travelled approximately 7km / 4.3 miles(586m elevation gain) from Temple #11 Fujii-dera.

PICNIC LUNCH: Go past the temple halland toilets and continue down (120m) to thesmall pilgrim’s shelter below (*the concrete
slope down here can also be slippery). Thisis our recommended PICNIC LUNCH spot.
You may rest in the shelter for lunch or head
40m further down to the road side and eat
by the stone monuments.

＊This is also the point where you
will be dropped off by taxi if you
have chosen to skip the initial
walk today.
＊When you have finished lunch,
you will continue right at theroad here. The trailhead soon
continues up to the left.

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DAY 3 ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA・Following lunch, turn right on theroad below the pilgrim shelter andhead briefly down the asphalt.

30m

Follow signs to soon turn left up the trail.

From here, it is approximatley 6km /3.7 miles(-480m and +560m) to Temple #12 Shosan-ji

・The trail soon merges with a wider one above
and continues up. Just over 1km on, reach a split
in the path. Follow signs left along the narrower
path to (Temple) 12.
1.1km

Where this path soon meets the road,continue
across and up the trail.
★ FROM HERE, IT IS A STEADY AND, AT TIMES, QUITE ROCKY/STEEP CLIMB THROUGH CEDAR FOREST. TAKE IT SLOWLY WITH
BREAKS ALONG THE WAY IF NEEDED. THE JIZO ARE ROOTINGFOR YOU AND KOBO DAISHI WAITS AT THE TOP!

						
Climbing a final flight of concrete stops, arrive at the top and pay
respects to the Great Teacher.

700m

Joren-an 浄蓮庵 ・Ipponsugi-an 一本杉庵: The Great Cedar
A statue of Kukai stands in front of a large native sugi tree

(Cryptomeria japonica, often translated as “Japanese cedar”,
though is closer to a redwood/sequoia) that is thirty meters
high and almost eight meters around. Legend has it that on his
way to Shosan-ji temple, Kukai slept in a hole in the root of atree here and Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light, appeared tohim in a dream. He then built a temple hall and planted the sugitree that now stands behind the statue. If this is true, the tree isover 1200 years old.
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ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA DAY 3〜5km / ３ miles

RYUSUI-AN (PICNIC SPOT)

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DAY 3 ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA

Pass to the right of the statue, between the temple hall buildings,
and head steadily down now for . The path becomes slightly more
1 KM
narrow and rocky. You will reachanother Jizo statue and intersecting trail.
Follow signs to cross it (the white sign with green
letters here says “The last remaining walk along
Kukai’s path” in Japanese) and then head sharply
down left.
Another 200m down and there
is a wooden post with a pilgrim sign and red
Japanese lettering. This warns of a particularly steep
and rocky down section from here. Take care for 400m andreach the mountain hamlet below.
600m

Follow signs left along the hamlet
lane, briefly, before cutting downright, sharply, to leave it.
35m

Continue down a narrow path,
passing the foundation walls of ahome, before meeting an asphalt
lane.
150m

Cross the lane and follow the low road path ahead.
150m

The path forks infront of a home. Diverge left onto thenarrower forest path and continue on tocross a small bridge over rapids, passing
ume apricot (“Japanese plum”) trees.
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ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA DAY 3

・Crossing a larger concrete bridge over a mountainstream, you will soon reach the beginning of your final,
longer “pilgrim-tumbler” climb.

200m★THIS IS SOME OF THE STEEPEST ROCKY TERRAIN OF THE TRAIL,CONTINUING FOR ROUGHLY 1KM. TAKE YOUR TIME.
En route, a sign in Japanese very eloquently describes
the day: “In life and along the pilgrimage, there aremountains and there are valleys.”

・Ascend until you reach a flat areaand signpost/bench, and have a wellearned break.

900m

From here, it is approximately 1km on easierterrain to Temple #12 Shosan-ji.

・Continue up the wider gravel
trail and soon reach an asphalt
lane with a promenade of stonelanterns runningparallel ahead.
500m
Enter the promenade right andcontinue straight on. Pass statues of a number ofprotective deities* before reaching stairs to
360m
the main gate of the temple on your right.
*You may thank these deities for helping you reach thispoint in the pilgrimage (and in life). They are, in order: Fudomyo 不動明王 (the Immovable One), Jibo-Kannon-Bosatsu
慈母観音菩薩 (The “Benevelont Mother“ Kannon), ShakaNyorai 釈迦如来 (the Historical Buddha), Monju-Bosatsu 文
殊菩薩 (Bodhisattva of Wisdom), Fugen-Bosatsu 普賢菩薩
(Bodhisattva of Practice/Good Conduct), Jizo-Bosastu 地蔵菩薩（Jizo Bodhisattva, the “earthly matrix”), Miroku-Bosatsu
弥勒菩薩 (the Future Buddha), Yakushi-Nyorai 薬師如来 (theMedicine Buddha), Kanzeon-Bosatsu 観世音菩薩 (Kannon, Guanyin, Goddess ofMercy/Compassion), Seishi-Bosatsu 勢至菩薩 (Seishi Bodhisattva, “he who proceedswith vigor”), Amida-Nyorai 阿弥陀如来 (the Buddha of Infinite Light), and DainichiNyorai 大日如来 (the Cosmic Buddha)
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DAY 3 ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA・You have reached the grounds of Temple #12 Shosan-ji.
Congratulations! Turn right up the stone steps to the main temple
gate. The nokyo-sho office is 50m ahead on the left and the main
Hondo hall is another 50m directly ahead, with the
100m
Daishi-do Hall to its immediate right.

Temple #12: Shosan-ji 焼山寺
Main deity: Kokuzo-Bosatsu
Famous as the pilgrimage’s first major nansho (“difficult place”
to reach) at an elevation of 700m (2,300ft), Shosan-ji temple
is the second highest on the full circuit. En-no-gyoja (b. 634 - d. c.700-707), founder of the
Shugendo faith, visited here over a hundred years before Kukai to carry out strict ascetic
practices. He was the first to take the practice of mountain worship into the depths of themountains themselves and thought that through strict ascetic practice supranatural powers
could be achieved. Local myth associated the mountain with a destructive serpent/dragonthat set the mountain on fire (“Shosan” means burning mountain). Kukai was following in Enno-gyoja’s footsteps in visiting Shosan-ji, and he also undertook ascetic practices here. The
legend associates Kukai with the permanent containing of the destructive serpent or dragon.
En-no-gyoja had contained the serpent but his powers had weakened over the course of 100
years. The serpent had caused the entire mountain to go up in flames (perhaps associatedwith a large destructive mountain fire). Kukai climbed the mountain and contained the serpent
in a cave about half way between the Temple and the Oku-no-in (inner sanctum). En-no- gyoja
is worshipped as a deity at this Inner Sanctum, and until 1911, a close to 1,000 year old
serpent statue rested inside, backed by an intricate engraving of flames. The basis of themyth is that Kukai would have ended a snake cult, or cult of fear and mythic superstition, andreplaced this fear with a new religion - the path of Buddha.
VISIT: Following the stone steps up through the main gate, pass an impressive array of sugi
cedar trees, hundreds of years old. The nokyo-sho stamp office and a rest area is to yourimmediate left. Continue ahead to the main hall, with the Daishi-do hall next to it on the right.
Kokuzo Bosatsu, the main deity, is a boddhisatva saint associated with granting wishes (forKukai, it was to contain the fiery serpent of the mountain), usually pertaining to increased
wisdom and memory. Shosan-j is also unique in how prominently it
includes Junisha-jinja 十二社神社, a Shinto shrine、
on the grounds.
This is the furthest structure to the right (a Shinto stone torii gate infront of it) and is a clear example of shinbutsu-shugo (the merging of
Buddhist and Shinto beliefs and co-worship of deities). The shrine isalso aptly named (“Juni” means 12) for the twelve iconic Shinto dieites
enshrined here, as well as the obvious connection to Shosanj-ji’s temple
number. Shinto shrines may be included at Buddhist mountain temple
sites to pay homage to the “original” gods and ask their continued favor/protection(remembering that Buddhism did not enter Japan until 538AD and had to competewith a robust indigenous belief system). Mountains themselves often retain a strong
feminine goddess identity, which are asked for “permission” to build the temple site
and use the mountain as a place of ascetic training.
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ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMA DAY 3〜7 km / 4.3 miles

JOREN-AN CEDARSTEEP DOWN TO HAMLETSTEEP UP TO SHOSAN-JITEMPLE #12 SHOSAN-JISHIKOKU WAYFARER SELF-GUIDED TOURSHOSAN-JI BUS STOP

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DAY 3 ANRAKUJI → FUJIIDERA → SHOSANJI → KAMIYAMARESERVED TAXI: A TAXI HAS BEEN PRE-RESERVED AND PAID FOR BYOUR OFFICES TO TAKE YOU FROM THE END OF THE WALK AT SHOSANJI BUS
STOP 焼山寺バス停 (i.e. the offical exit of the holy mountain) TO YOUR
ACCOMMODATION AT KAMIYAMA ONSEN 神山温泉.
★PLEASE NOTE that the Shosan-ji bus stop is still another〜3 km (1.9 miles) and -430m (-1410 ft) elevation descent from
Shosan-ji temple. If legs are not up to the final stretch, please callour offices to arrange the taxi pick you up instead from thetemple parking lot (located 〜400m back along the path lined
by stone lantern posts and large Buddhist deity statues).

Temple #12 Shonsan-ji→ Shosan-ji bus stop 焼山寺バス停：
					(〜3 km / 1.9 miles)

STEEP DOWNSHOSAN-JI BUS STOPTEMPLE #12 SHOSAN-JIJOSHIN-AN

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This tour has been researched and created by Walk Japan Limited
Map Data © Mapbox © OpenStreetMap©2024 by WalkJapan. First published 2020. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
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