Yamadera

Risshakuji, universally called Yamadera - mountain temple - was founded in 860 and is built into a cliff of eroded rock above the Tachiya valley, its halls set on ledges and outcrops up the face. The way up is 1,015 stone steps through cedar, past small halls, carved rock and stone lanterns, and climbing them is understood as the practice: each step is said to shed a worldly desire. At the top the Godaido hall projects on posts over the drop and gives the view down the valley. Basho stopped here in 1689 on the journey recorded in the Narrow Road to the Deep North and wrote the verse about the cicada's cry soaking into the rocks, which is carved on a stone in the grounds and is the reason many Japanese visitors come. The climb takes about forty minutes at a steady pace.

History

Temple tradition says Ennin, known as Jikaku Daishi, founded Risshaku-ji in 860 as a branch of Enryaku-ji by order of Emperor Seiwa. It was rebuilt after a fire in the mid-13th century, its main hall was rebuilt in 1356 by Shiba Kaneyori, lord of Yamagata Castle, and the painter Sesshū visited in 1482 and sketched its precincts (Wikipedia, Yama-dera).

Highlights

• 1,015 steps - a stone stair through cedar to halls set on the cliff face.
• Godaido - a viewing hall built out on posts over the valley drop.
• Basho's verse - the cicada poem written here in 1689, carved on a stone.
• A temple in the rock - halls on ledges and outcrops rather than a level compound.

When to go

May to November; late October for colour. Three hours including the climb.

What to expect

The climb is a real one and the steps are uneven and worn. Snow and ice make it hazardous in winter and parts close. Autumn weekends fill the narrow stair. There is little shade in the lower section in summer.

Nearby

Yamagata city is west; Ginzan Onsen is north.

Key facts