Hojyusan Rissyakuji

Risshakuji Temple (Yamadera) is a Tendai-sect temple about a 10-minute walk from JR Yamadera Station. Founded in 860 and commonly known as “Yamadera,” it is one of Yamagata’s most famous sites and attracts many worshippers from inside and outside the prefecture. It is also known as the setting of Matsuo Basho’s famous line in “Oku no Hosomichi” about the silence and cicadas. The temple precincts cover an area said to be about 23 Tokyo Domes, stretching from the foot of the mountain to the summit, and contain 30 halls and pagodas of various sizes. To reach the top “Okunoin,” visitors must climb 1,070 stone steps. Along the way, outstanding cultural properties such as the “Konpon Chudo” (Japan’s oldest beech-wood structure) and the magnificent three-story pagoda of “Kazo-in,” a National Important Cultural Property, appear one after another—well worth the effort. On a fine day, the breeze at “Okunoin” and the nearby “Godaido” is especially pleasant, and the panoramic view over Yamagata City is a spectacular reward that explains why many people return again and again.