Kuon-ji (Minobusan)

photo by Shift · CC BY-SA 3.0

photo by Yoshio Kohara · CC BY 3.0

287 stone steps lead to the temple where Nichiren lived the last nine years of his life.

The Bodaitei staircase (菩提梯), 287 stone steps, climbs to the temple forecourt: the traditional pilgrims' route, with a gentler side path for those who would rather not tackle it. At the top, the main hall and a five-storey pagoda stand beside weeping cherry trees: one is about 400 years old, among the ten most celebrated in Japan. A ropeway climbs in seven minutes to the shrine on Mount Minobu.

Founded in 1281 by the Buddhist monk Nichiren, invited by the landowner Nanbu Jitsunaga to retire to the Nishi valley; it is the head temple of the Nichiren school of Japanese Buddhism. Nichiren spent the last nine years of his life here and is buried here. The main hall seen today was rebuilt in 1985, and the five-storey pagoda was completed in 2008, after the original had been lost for centuries.

ℹ️ Temple grounds open 5:00–16:20 all year, free entry. Treasure museum: 9:00–16:00 (last entry 15:30), 500 yen adults, 200 yen elementary/junior high school students. The weeping cherries bloom between late March and early April. Bus 15 minutes from Minobu Station, or 10 minutes by car from the Minobusan interchange.

🚉 上の駅 · 8 min walk

Sources: ja.wikipedia.org

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