Daisho-in

Daisho-in is the head Shingon temple on Miyajima, founded by tradition in 806 by Kobo Daishi, and it sits on the slope of Misen above Itsukushima Shrine - which most visitors never reach, because they photograph the torii and take the ferry back. The main stair has a row of metal prayer wheels along its handrail, turned as you climb. Around the compound are about five hundred rakan figures, small stone arhats each with a different expression, many wearing knitted caps left by visitors. The Henjokutsu cave below the main hall holds the principal icons of all eighty-eight temples of the Shikoku pilgrimage, lit by hanging lanterns, so that walking through it is treated as equivalent to completing the circuit. There is also a sand mandala made by visiting Tibetan monks and a hall of ten thousand small statues.

What you actually see

• Prayer wheels on the stair - a handrail of turning metal cylinders up the approach.
• Five hundred rakan - stone arhats with individual faces, many in knitted caps.
• The Henjokutsu cave - lantern-lit, holding the icons of all eighty-eight Shikoku temples.
• A quiet compound - largely missed by visitors who stop at the torii below.

When to go

Late November for maples; all year otherwise. Two hours.

Honest expectations

The approach is a steady climb with many steps. Deer on Miyajima take food and paper from bags. Ferry queues in season are long. The temple is a working Shingon site, not a museum.

Nearby

Itsukushima Shrine is below; Mount Misen's trails start here.