Ichijo-ji Temple

Ichijo-ji Temple is a historic Tendai Buddhist temple in Kasai City, Hyogo Prefecture, with the sangō (mountain name) Hokkasan. It is known as the 26th temple on the Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. Temple tradition says it was founded in Hakuchi 1 (650) by Hodo Sennin. Access is by taking Shinki Bus from JR Sanyo Main Line Himeji Station and getting off at the “Hokkasan Ichijo-ji” bus stop, right nearby. The three-story pagoda on the grounds is a National Treasure. It is said to have been built in Shoan 1 (1171), and it is counted among Japan’s representative ancient pagodas with a clearly known construction date. Although Ichijo-ji is said to have suffered fires many times in the medieval and early modern periods, numerous old structures remain, including the pagoda, the Kondo (Daishikaku, main hall) built in the early Edo period, and the bell tower. Many cultural properties, such as the set of ten portraits of Prince Shotoku and eminent Tendai monks (National Treasure), are also well worth viewing. The surrounding area is a scenic spot famed for cherry blossoms, fresh greenery, and autumn foliage—so beautiful that it is praised in a devotional song: “Spring is for flowers, summer for tachibana oranges, autumn for chrysanthemums—ever wondrous is Hokkasan, the Flower Mountain of the Dharma.”