Yakusen-ji Temple

Yakusenji Temple is a Ji-shu (Time Sect) Buddhist temple in Hyogo Ward, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, with the temple mountain name Iozan. According to tradition, during the Kenmu era, Emperor Go-Daigo fell ill while returning to Kyoto from Oki Island. Water that sprang from a spring within the temple grounds was prepared as medicinal water, and he recovered immediately—after which the temple was granted the name “Yakusenji.” Access to Yakusenji is about a 15-minute walk from JR Kobe Line Hyogo Station. Yakusenji is one of the stops on the Hyogo Seven Lucky Gods Pilgrimage (Hyogo Shichifukujin Meguri), a route visiting seven temples and shrines scattered around Hyogo-no-tsu, a key point on the Saigoku Kaido highway. It is said that by making the pilgrimage you can escape seven misfortunes and receive seven blessings. Yakusenji represents Jurōjin. Jurōjin is said to be an incarnation of the Chinese philosopher Laozi, and is often depicted as an aged immortal with long white hair accompanied by a deer. The deer is said to have lived for over a thousand years, and legends claim that eating its meat grants two thousand years of longevity. The area is also associated with the Taira clan: when Retired Emperor Go-Shirakawa was confined during the Fukuhara capital period, it is said a crude structure called the “Kaya no Gosho” was built around here to hold him. A monument marking the former site of the Kaya no Gosho stands within the precincts.