Visited 12.10.2015 (Mon)
Achievement unlocked. From Yamagata Station 山形駅, we took a train and alighted at Yamadera Station 山寺駅. Upon alighting the train, my jaws dropped when I came face to face with the mountain which we were supposed to climb to get to the temple. This height is definitely not for the faint-hearted I thought and I had to give my parents a small "pep" talk, checking with them whether they were ok to do the climb and they should do it at their own comfortable pace, taking breaks whenever required. Evenutally, we managed to achieve a new milestone at Yamadera by climbing the most number of stairs in a day - a total of 1,015 stone steps from the base of the mountain to where Okuno-in 奥之院 and Daibutsuden 大仏殿 are located at.
Highlights
Finally, we arrived at our pit stop - Okuno-in 奥之院 and Daibutsuden 大仏殿. Near Okuno-in, there is a signage informing visitors that they have accomplished 1,000 steps from the starting point to arrive here. Okuno-in, the building on the right, is where Gautama Buddha (Shaka nyorai 釈迦如来) and Prabhutaratna Buddha (Taho nyorai 多宝如来) are worshipped. The adjacent building, Daibutsuden, is where a 5 m tall, golden statue of Amitabha Buddha (Amita nyorai 阿弥陀如来) is enshrined in.
Scenic. Next we made our way to Godaido 五大堂, known to be one of the best viewing spot in Yamadera. Along the way, we passed by Kaisando 開山堂 and Nokyodo 納経堂. Kaisando is dedicated to Jikaku daishi 慈覚大師, the founder of Risshakuji and it is said that his body was placed in a gold coffin and buried in a cave beneath the cliff where Kaisando is located at. Nokyodo is a small red hall located beside Kaisando, which is used to store hand copied sutra and is the oldest building on this mountain. When we turned back to look at the overall mountainous landscape, we were amazed by the sight of various temples and landmarks built at random locations on the steep mountain slope and the scenery left us very impressed, considering these structures were constructed centuries ago.
Best view. When we looked out from the extended platform of Godaido, the breathtaking scenery took us by surprise and we were at a loss for words for quite some time. Rebuilt in 1714, this hall which is dedicated to the five great wisdom kings, is the truly the best observatory spot to capture a spectacular view of the town, nestled in a countryside landscape, and its surrounding mountainous range. Despite being hit by soreness in our leg muscles during the descend (eventually), we are agreed that the experience gained was priceless and the climb was extremely worthwhile and rewarding.
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Yamadera 山寺, Hojusan Risshakuji 宝珠山立石寺
〒999-3301 山形県山形市山寺4456-1
Admission fee = 300 yen
https://www.rissyakuji.jp/
How to get there?
(1) By foot. Takes 6 mins to walk from Yamadera JR Station 山寺駅 to the starting point of the climb.
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Admission tickets:
Achievement unlocked. From Yamagata Station 山形駅, we took a train and alighted at Yamadera Station 山寺駅. Upon alighting the train, my jaws dropped when I came face to face with the mountain which we were supposed to climb to get to the temple. This height is definitely not for the faint-hearted I thought and I had to give my parents a small "pep" talk, checking with them whether they were ok to do the climb and they should do it at their own comfortable pace, taking breaks whenever required. Evenutally, we managed to achieve a new milestone at Yamadera by climbing the most number of stairs in a day - a total of 1,015 stone steps from the base of the mountain to where Okuno-in 奥之院 and Daibutsuden 大仏殿 are located at.
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| So high up! This was the view which greeted us upon stepping out of Yamadera JR Station. |
Background. Yamadera means “mountain temple”. The mountain refers to Hojusan 宝珠山 and the official name of the temple situated here is Risshakuji 立石寺. Established by Jikaku daishi 慈覚大師 in 860, it is said that people visit this sacred temple hoping to shake off evil connection / destiny from them. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉, a famous 17th century Japanese poet, composed a famous haiku (very short form of Japanese poetry) describing the atmosphere here when he dropped by Risshakuji. This haiku which is found in his travel literature named titled Okunohozomichi 奥の細道, reads as follows - 閑かさや 岩にしみ入る 蝉の声 which means "such stillness, the cries of cidada, sinking into the rocks".
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| Konpon Chudo, a hall constructed from buna and designated as a National Important Cultural Property. |
Foot of mountain. There are several prominent landmarks that climbers will pass by during the ascend. The first landmark that we approached was Konpon Chudo 根本中堂, a hall constructed from buna and designated as a National Important Cultural Property. Here, an eternal flame from Hieizan's (Hiei mountain 比叡山) Enryaku-ji 延暦寺 (located in Kyoto) is brought over to here and Yakushi nyorai 薬師如来 (known as the Buddha of healing and medicine) is being worshipped in this hall.
Start of climb. Admission fee was collected at Sanmon 山門, a thatched roof wooden gate constructed during Kamakura period (1185 - 1333). The real challenge commenced soon after passing through this gate. What lie ahead of us seemed to be an endless flight of stairs winding through a cedar tree forest based on a steep terrain. Fortunately, the cooling weather made the entire climbing experience seemed less tough. Along the way, we stopped by every now and then (at empty spots where we were not blocking the human traffic) to admire the tall cedar trees, massive cliffs and stone monuments.
Look back! The next landmark after the half way mark is Niomon 仁王門, a gate rebuilt in 1848 and more temples emerged after passing through this gate. From this stage onward, the altitude gained is high enough to obtain a broader overview of the mountainous surroundings. Therefore, do slow down, find a right spot and turn back to admire the scenery. Enjoyed the bonus of admiring the scenery decorated by beautiful autumn foliage when I visited the place in October.
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| Sanmon, the gate where admission fee was collected. |
Start of climb. Admission fee was collected at Sanmon 山門, a thatched roof wooden gate constructed during Kamakura period (1185 - 1333). The real challenge commenced soon after passing through this gate. What lie ahead of us seemed to be an endless flight of stairs winding through a cedar tree forest based on a steep terrain. Fortunately, the cooling weather made the entire climbing experience seemed less tough. Along the way, we stopped by every now and then (at empty spots where we were not blocking the human traffic) to admire the tall cedar trees, massive cliffs and stone monuments.
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| Niomon. |
Look back! The next landmark after the half way mark is Niomon 仁王門, a gate rebuilt in 1848 and more temples emerged after passing through this gate. From this stage onward, the altitude gained is high enough to obtain a broader overview of the mountainous surroundings. Therefore, do slow down, find a right spot and turn back to admire the scenery. Enjoyed the bonus of admiring the scenery decorated by beautiful autumn foliage when I visited the place in October.
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| After scaling 1,000 stone steps, we arrived at Okuno-in (right) and Daibutsuden (left). |
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| Look out for this marker, which indicates that you have climbed 1,000 steps to reach here. |
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| Kaisando on the right and Nokyodo on the left. |
Best view. When we looked out from the extended platform of Godaido, the breathtaking scenery took us by surprise and we were at a loss for words for quite some time. Rebuilt in 1714, this hall which is dedicated to the five great wisdom kings, is the truly the best observatory spot to capture a spectacular view of the town, nestled in a countryside landscape, and its surrounding mountainous range. Despite being hit by soreness in our leg muscles during the descend (eventually), we are agreed that the experience gained was priceless and the climb was extremely worthwhile and rewarding.
======
Yamadera 山寺, Hojusan Risshakuji 宝珠山立石寺
〒999-3301 山形県山形市山寺4456-1
Admission fee = 300 yen
https://www.rissyakuji.jp/
How to get there?
(1) By foot. Takes 6 mins to walk from Yamadera JR Station 山寺駅 to the starting point of the climb.
======
Admission tickets:
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