Kasamori Kannon
licensed photographΣ64 / CC BY 4.0

Chiba inland · ChonanNo.1288★★Open in map →

Kasamori Kannon

— A hilltop Kannon hall on stilts on all four sides

historyOff the trail — and worth it

A Kannon hall raised on wooden pillars on all four sides of a boulder, in the wooded hills of Chonan in inland Chiba. It is the only hall built this way in Japan, and a nationally designated Important Cultural Property.

  1. FromTokyo Station
  2. ~1 hr + local busExpress train + local bus
  3. Get off atMobara Station (JR Sotobo Line)
  4. From there
  5. Kasamori Kannon
Directions ↗

The sweet spot

This is not a hidden spot: it is one of Chiba's best-known temples and has drawn pilgrims for centuries. What keeps it off most trip plans is the journey. It sits in the hills inland, and the last leg from Mobara Station is by local bus or taxi.

Where it is

50 more notes in Chiba · open the map →

What to look for — in walking order

The pillars under the hallΣ64 / CC BY 4.0
  1. The cutting approacha path cut between rock walls, shaded by chinquapin and camphor trees and cool even at midday
  2. The pillars under the hall61 wooden pillars, linked by tie-beams, rising from the boulder to carry the hall
  3. The wooden staircase75 wooden steps climbing past the pillar frame up to the hall
  4. The verandaa railed walkway around the hall, looking out over the hills of southern Boso and the protected forest below

How to actually get there

  1. Tokyo Station → Mobara Station (JR limited express Wakashio, about 1 hr).
  2. Mobara Station South Exit → Kasamori bus stop (Kominato Bus bound for Kasamori Reien; check the timetable first).
  3. Kasamori bus stop → temple entrance (walk about 5 min).
  4. Up the approach and the wooden staircase to the Kannon hall.
JR limited express to Mobara + Kominato Bus
Tokyo Station →(JR limited express Wakashio, about 1 hr)→ Mobara Station. From the South Exit, take the Kominato Bus bound for Kasamori Reien and get off at Kasamori; the temple is about 5 minutes on foot. Check the Kominato Bus timetable before you set out — a taxi from Mobara Station is the fallback.
Bus back to Mobara, then JR to Tokyo
Take the Kominato Bus from Kasamori back to Mobara Station South Exit, then the JR Sotobo Line to Tokyo. Note the return bus time before you climb to the hall. If you miss it, the temple's access page lists a local taxi company (Chonan Taxi).
Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Kasamori-ji, better known as Kasamori Kannon, is a Tendai Buddhist temple on a forested hill in Chonan, in inland Chiba. Its Kannon hall stands on a huge boulder at the top of the hill. Instead of resting on the ground, the hall is carried by a frame of wooden pillars on all four sides. This style is called shiho-kakezukuri, a relative of the stilt construction under Kyoto's Kiyomizu-dera. The hall enshrines an eleven-headed Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion, and the temple is the 31st stop on the Bando 33 Kannon pilgrimage. The forest on the hill is protected as a national natural monument.

How to enjoy it

Pause at the foot of the hall to take in the frame of pillars, then climb to the veranda and walk all the way round it. The hall is open 8:00–16:30 from April to September and 8:00–16:00 from October to March, and it closes in rain. In Ox and Horse years (2026 is a Horse year) the temple calendar sets a public showing of the main Kannon image from 17 October to 18 November, so check the temple's notices first.

Background & history

Temple tradition holds that Saicho, founder of the Tendai school, carved a Kannon image from a sacred camphor tree and enshrined it here in 784. The hall itself is said to have been built in 1028 at the wish of Emperor Go-Ichijo. Ink inscriptions found during a full dismantling repair, completed in 1960, date the present building to the late sixteenth century. It was designated a National Treasure in 1908, and the haiku poet Matsuo Basho is recorded as visiting in 1682.

Before you go

Cash
Admission is 300 yen for adults and 100 yen for children; the temple asks for it to help maintain the hall and the forest. Carry some cash for admission and the bus.
Before you go
The hall closes in rain and during storms, and the temple posts closures on its website. The way up is a long wooden staircase, so take your time. Pets must be in a carrier inside the hall and on a leash in the grounds.
Another way
From Haneda Airport or Yokohama Station, take the highway bus bound for Mobara Station and get off at Chonan Parking (Chonan Chushajo); the temple is about 4 km away, roughly 5 minutes by taxi. By car, it is about 5 km from Mobara-Chonan IC on the Ken-O Expressway, with a free car park.
After you get off
From Mobara Station South Exit, ride the Kominato Bus bound for Kasamori Reien to the Kasamori stop, then walk about 5 minutes to the temple.