Engyō-ji

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About Engyō-ji

Engyo-ji is a Tendai-sect temple on Mount Shosha, about 8 km north of central Himeji. It was founded in 966 by the monk Shoku and became one of the major pilgrimage centers of western Japan, visited by emperors. The mountain’s name comes from the word for copying sutras.

Access is by a cable car, the Shosha Ropeway, which climbs the slope, followed by a walk through the forest to the halls. The first large building is the Maniden, a hall built on wooden pillars at the edge of a cliff, in a style similar to Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto, dedicated to Kannon.

Further on, in a cedar-surrounded clearing, are the three large halls, the Mitsunodo: the Daikodo, a lecture hall; the Jikido, the monks’ refectory, a two-story building; and the Jogyodo. The complex has served as a setting for period films and international productions. The Jikido houses an exhibition of temple objects, and the path continues to the founder’s mausoleum in a more secluded part of the forest.

The temple is surrounded by woodland, with maples that change color in November and stone paths between buildings. There is also a pilgrimage route with statues of Kannon along the trail for those who prefer to climb on foot from the base, which takes about 1 hour. The temple offers sutra-copying experiences on certain days.