Yamadera (山寺) is a temple built into the side of the
mountains in Yamagata Prefecture. It was founded under
the Tendai Sect by Jikaku Daishi also known as Ennin in
860. Under the Tendai Sect the official name of the
temple is Risshakuji. The popular name Yamadera
literally translates to mountain temple. Yamadera is a
branch of Enryakuji in Otsu, which overlooks Kyoto. The
temple is split between the upper and lower sections,
which both require a small fee. In order to reach the
upper Yamadera area you must climb 1,015 stone steps.
The stone steps are meant to be a form of ascetic
training through physical means where one will have a
moment of clarity away from the desires of the world.
Large cedar and beech trees surround the steps
providing a scenic route of peace.
Depending on the travel season you will also hear the
echoes of cicada in the forest. There are also small
temples scattered around the path along with various
statues and engravings. Statues of Matsuo Basho and
his apprentice Sora are immortalized to remind us of the
journey they made when exploring the deep north. One
of Basho’s famous haiku was written about Yamadera
which goes, “Ah this silence, sinking into the rocks, voice
of cicada.” The original Japanese text is read as
“shizukesa ya iwa ni shimiiru semi no koe” (静けさや岩に
しみ入る蝉の声). Near the top of the route is a massive
rock formation called Mida Hora. It is shaped like Amida
Buddha, the Buddha of Immeasurable Life and Light.
Once you reach the grounds of Yamadera, the main
building, Konponchudo Hall, is noted for being built out of
beech wood, which is rare to use as building material.
It is said that inside the main temple is a flame that has
never been extinguish since its founding. The ritual fires
are said to have been brought from Enryakuji to
Yamadera. Even though the temple was founded in 860,
Konponchudo Hall was built in the 14th century by Shiba
Kaneyori, the former lord of Yamagata Castle. In the
early 16th century much of Yamadera was destroyed in
the conflict between local clans. The buildings were later
rebuilt by a monk named Enkai. During the Edo period
the temple thrived as it possessed a sizable fief. The
Kaisando Hall is known as the founder’s building, which
means it is a structure dedicated to the founder of a
temple. It is usually found in most Buddhist monastery
and in the Yamadera Jikaku Daishi is displayed in the
building. The structure is deemed an Important Cultural
Building along with Nokyodo, which is next to Kaisando
Hall. The Nokyodo was used as a place to copy sutra.
