Hida Kokubun-ji
(Temple)
People go to Kokubun temples to pray for a plentiful rice harvest and for the peace of the nation. Hida Kokubun temple is located in the center of the city, and is one of many Kokubun temples built throughout the nation by order of Emperor Shomu in the Nara Period (710-794). Within the temple grounds, we can see the main temple that was built in the Muromachi Period (1336-1573), a three-storied pagoda from the Edo Period (1603-1868), foundation stones said to be relics of a pagoda, and the gate with belfry that were moved from Takayama Castle when that structure was pulled down. The people of the area have a saying that: “If the big ginkgo tree in the temple loses its leaves all at once, there will be a particularly heavy snow-fall that year.”
Location: 1-83, Sowa-machi, Takayama City
Access: About 5 minute walk from JR Takayama Station