Yakuō-in on Mount Takao

photo by KENPEI · CC BY-SA 4.0

The Takao fire walk is on the 2nd Sunday of March, in the open area at the foot of the mountain.

At the Daihondō, halfway up the mountain, several sessions a day of the fire rite (goma) are held in front of a large mask of the tengu, the crow spirit to which the temple is dedicated together with the deity Izuna Gongen. Every second Sunday of March the fire walk (hiwatari-sai) draws visitors, but it is held in the open area at the foot of the mountain, not in front of the temple. From the funicular station at the top, a paved path of about twenty minutes leads down to the Daihondō.

Buddhist temple of the Shingon school, founded according to tradition in 744, halfway up Mount Takao. Its worship is directed to Izuna Gongen, with the tengu (the crow spirit of the mountains) as its distinctive image: a large tengu mask is in the Daihondō. The fire walk (hiwatari-sai) is held every second Sunday of March in the open area at the foot of the mountain; the 2026 edition is set for 8 March, at 13:00.

ℹ️ Grounds and halls freely accessible, with no ticket; telephone enquiries 9:00–16:00. Fire rite sessions in the Daihondō are held several times a day (at 5:30 or 6:00 depending on the season, then 9:30, 11:00, 12:30, 14:00, 15:30). No booking required for an ordinary visit. ⚠️ In the autumn leaves season the last stretch of the path gets crowded, and several reviews report a steep climb even if you take the funicular.

🚉 Takaosan · 13 min walk

Sources: takaosan.or.jp · takaosan.or.jp · takaosan.or.jp · takaosan.or.jp

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