Yokokuraji Temple is a Tendai Buddhist temple located in Tanigumi-Kanbara, Ibigawa Town, Ibi District, Gifu Prefecture. Its mountain name is Ryokai-san, and its principal object of worship is Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of Healing.
The temple is the first stop on the Nishi-Mino Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage and houses numerous Important Cultural Properties. Because of its remarkable collection of historical treasures, it is often called the “Shosoin of Mino,” in reference to the famous imperial treasure repository in Nara.
Yokokuraji is also renowned for its autumn foliage. During the fall sightseeing season, many visitors come to admire the colorful leaves and attend the Yokokuraji Maple Festival, when parts of the temple grounds are illuminated after dark.
According to tradition, Yokokuraji was founded in 803 by Dengyo Daishi Saicho, the founder of Japanese Tendai Buddhism. The temple houses 22 objects designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan, along with a large collection of paintings and books. These treasures have earned it the nickname “Shosoin of Mino.”
One of its best-known treasures is the preserved body of Myoshin Hoshi, a Buddhist monk who is said to have attained enlightenment through self-mummification approximately 200 years ago.
Legend says that when Saicho was preparing to establish Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei, he carved a statue of Yakushi Nyorai with his own hands, placed it in a portable chest, and carried it with him as he traveled around the country. When he reached the present site of Yokokuraji, the statue could no longer be moved. Saicho interpreted this as a sign and established a temple there.
Yokokuraji is believed to have been founded in 803, with Saicho enshrining the statue of Yakushi Nyorai that he had carved himself. The temple is therefore regarded as one founded by the patriarch of Japanese Tendai Buddhism.
Originally, the temple stood farther up the mountain, near the summit of Mount Maruyama. It was relocated to its present site in the early modern period. During the Kamakura period (1185–1333), it was a large religious complex with 38 sub-temples and halls, and it became an important center of Buddhist worship and culture.
The temple’s spiritual reputation is also recorded in the Shasekishu, a collection of Buddhist tales written by the late-Kamakura-period Zen monk Mujū. The work recounts the miraculous powers associated with the Yakushi Buddha of Yokokura.
From the Heian period (794–1185) through the Kamakura period, Yokokuraji developed into a historic temple known for its many cultural treasures. Although it once had 38 sub-temples, relatively few detailed records of its history survive, and much of its past is known through fragmentary accounts.
In 1571, during the Genki era, the temple was destroyed by fire in an attack associated with Oda Nobunaga’s forces. Its principal buildings, including the main hall, three-story pagoda, and Nio Gate, were rebuilt during the Edo period (1603–1868).
Historical accounts also relate that when Enryakuji Temple was attacked and its buildings burned, the original principal statue of Yakushi Nyorai from Yokokuraji was transferred to Enryakuji. The statue now worshipped at Yokokuraji was subsequently brought there in its place.
Yokokuraji preserves a wealth of cultural properties, particularly Buddhist statues dating from the Heian and Kamakura periods.
Among the most notable is the statue of Dainichi Nyorai, designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. It was created in 1183, near the end of the Heian period, and is enshrined as the principal image of the three-story pagoda.
The temple’s statues of the Nio guardian kings bear an inscription dating to 1256. They are attributed to Higo Betto Jokei, one of the representative Buddhist sculptors of the Kamakura period.
Yokokuraji is also known as the “temple with a mummy.” The preserved body of Myoshin Hoshi, regarded as a sokushinbutsu or self-mummified Buddhist monk, is enshrined in the Sharido Hall.
Myoshin Hoshi was born in 1781 and traveled around Japan pursuing Buddhist ascetic practices. In 1817, after a period of fasting and severe religious discipline, he is said to have attained sokushin jobutsu, or Buddhahood in his own body, in what is now Tsuru City, Yamanashi Prefecture.
His body naturally mummified and is known as one of the youngest preserved bodies of a self-mummified monk in Japan. It was originally kept in Yamanashi before being transferred to his hometown temple, Yokokuraji, in 1890.
The main hall was completed in 1671. It features a cypress-bark roof and an irimoya-style hip-and-gable roof. The building is designated an Important Cultural Property of Gifu Prefecture.
Completed in 1663, the three-story pagoda has a cypress-bark roof and is designated an Important Cultural Property of Gifu Prefecture.
The Nio Gate is a two-story gate with a cypress-bark roof. Completed in 1675, it is also designated an Important Cultural Property of Gifu Prefecture.
The Kannon Hall serves as a treasure hall and houses numerous Buddhist statues.
Ruriden Hall enshrines important Buddhist images, including a standing wooden statue of Deepaṅkara, known in Japanese as Jinja Taisho, which is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan.
The Sharido Hall is where the preserved body of Myoshin Hoshi is enshrined.
Yokokuraji Temple is home to numerous Important Cultural Properties of Japan, including the following:
Seated Wooden Statue of Yakushi Nyorai: A secret Buddha image that is unveiled to the public once every 60 years.
Seated Wooden Statue of Dainichi Nyorai: Created in 1183 by the Buddhist sculptor Chikuzen Koji and enshrined as the principal image of the three-story pagoda.
Standing Wooden Statues of the Four Heavenly Kings: Buddhist guardian figures that protect the four directions.
Standing Wooden Statues of the Twelve Divine Generals: Protective deities associated with Yakushi Nyorai.
Standing Wooden Statue of Jinja Taisho: A rare and important Buddhist sculpture.
Wooden Statues of the Nio Guardian Kings: Sculptures bearing an inscription dated 1256 and attributed to Higo Betto Jokei.
Engraved Lotus Sutra Mandala on Wooden Panels: A distinctive religious artwork depicting Buddhist teachings.
Yokokuraji Temple is a remarkable destination for anyone interested in Japanese Buddhism, history, and traditional art. Its ancient halls, historic pagoda, exceptional Buddhist sculptures, and the preserved body of Myoshin Hoshi offer a fascinating glimpse into centuries of religious devotion. Visitors can also enjoy the temple’s peaceful atmosphere and beautiful autumn foliage while exploring its rich cultural heritage.