Risshaku-ji (Yamadera)

photo by Cp9asngf · CC BY-SA 4.0

photo by Cp9asngf · CC BY-SA 4.0

One thousand and fifteen stone steps climb to the Godaidō, hanging sheer over the valley.

The pilgrim climbs the 1,015 steps cut into the rock of Mount Hōju, among centuries-old cedars and small shrines, up to the Godaidō, the pavilion suspended over the ravine from which you can see the whole Yamagata valley. The Konpon Chūdō, at the bottom, is the oldest beech-wood building still standing in Japan; higher up, the three-storey pagoda of the Kaizan-in is a national Important Cultural Property.

A temple of the Tendai school founded in 860 by Jikaku Daishi Ennin, third patriarch of the sect, on the side of Mount Hōju. The complex unfolds as a series of buildings along the climb, from the Konpon Chūdō at the foot of the mountain to the Godaidō at the top.

ℹ️ Open all year: 8:00–16:00 from April to November (gate closes at 17:00), 8:30–15:00 from December to March (closes at 16:00, with hours cut further in case of snow). Admission 500 yen adults (junior high and up), 200 yen children from age 4; cash only. JR Yamadera Station, about 10 minutes on foot from the entrance.

🚉 Yamadera · 6 min walk

Sources: rissyakuji.jp

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