Kosanji Temple and Miraishin no Oka
licensed photographFabimaru / CC BY-SA 4.0

Setouchi · IkuchijimaNo.1118★★Open in map →

Kosanji Temple and Miraishin no Oka

— Setoda's replica halls and marble hilltop

cultureOff the trail — and worth it

An island temple whose halls were built as copies of Nikko, Uji and Nara, with a hillside of Italian marble laid out directly above them. The walk turns from painted timber to white stone in a few minutes.

  1. FromOnomichi Station
  2. ~40 min by boatBoat from Onomichi
  3. Get off atSetoda Port (Onomichi–Setoda boat)
  4. On foot
  5. Kosanji Temple and Miraishin no Oka
Directions ↗

The sweet spot

This is not a hidden temple. It is the headline sight of Ikuchijima and it appears on almost every Shimanami itinerary. What goes unnoticed is the range held inside one precinct: a Nikko-style gate, an underground tunnel of hell imagery, and a modern marble hillside are three different kinds of place. A quick photo stop at the gate registers only the first of them.

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

Miraishin no OkaFabimaru / CC BY-SA 4.0
  1. Sanmon Gatethe entrance gate, where the precinct's colour scheme begins
  2. Koyomon Gatea full-scale copy of the Yomeimon at Nikko Toshogu, carved and polychromed
  3. Main Hallmodelled on the Phoenix Hall of Byodoin at Uji
  4. Senbutsudo Jigokukyoan underground tunnel about 350 metres long, lined with stone figures
  5. Miraishin no Okathe marble hilltop, with the Tower of Light and the marble Cafe Cuore

How to actually get there

  1. Take the high-speed boat from the pier in front of Onomichi Station to Setoda Port on Ikuchijima.
  2. Walk inland from the pier through Setoda town to the temple gate.
  3. Work upward through the precinct: gate, main hall, then down into the underground tunnel.
  4. Finish on Miraishin no Oka at the top, then return to the port for your chosen sailing.
Onomichi Station → Setoda Port
A high-speed boat runs from the pier in front of Onomichi Station to Setoda Port on Ikuchijima, taking about forty minutes and calling at Innoshima on the way. Sailings are limited rather than frequent, so read the timetable before you build the day around it.
Last boat back to Onomichi
The service runs on a fixed, limited timetable and ends well before late evening. Fix your return sailing before you start walking uphill. The road bus off the island is slower than the boat and its service also thins out at night.
Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Kosanji stands on Ikuchijima, a citrus island in the Seto Inland Sea. An industrialist raised it in memory of his mother, and he raised it by copying: the halls reproduce buildings from Nikko, Uji and Nara, carved and painted at full scale. Behind and above them sits a separate work of a completely different kind. Miraishin no Oka covers about 5,000 square metres of hillside, cut and laid in white marble quarried at Carrara in Italy. The two halves share one precinct. Vermilion and gold below, unbroken white above.

How to enjoy it

The crossing itself is part of the day, threading between islands on the way out. Save enough of the visit for the top, because the marble hill is the end of the climb rather than a side trip. Check the return sailing before you start upward — the last boat, not the closing bell, is what shapes the afternoon.

Background & history

Construction began in 1936 and continued for decades. The founder was an industrialist who had taken Buddhist vows after his mother died, and the temple was raised in her memory. Fifteen of its structures now sit on the national register of tangible cultural properties. An underground passage of hell and paradise imagery, Senbutsudo Jigokukyo, was completed in 1964. The halls, the tunnel and the hill each belong to a different era of the same project.

Before you go

Cash
The precinct is ticketed at the gate and the current rate is posted there, with several categories. Carry cash: this is a small island town and not every shop on it takes cards.
Before you go
The precinct closes in the late afternoon, and last entry is called earlier than closing, so a late boat leaves you short of time. Miraishin no Oka is open stone with little shade, which makes both midsummer heat and wet weather awkward underfoot.
Another way
A road bus from Onomichi Station towards Setoda also reaches the island and stops near the temple, though it takes longer than the boat. By car, the Nishiseto Expressway has exits at both the north and south ends of Ikuchijima, and either one drops you into Setoda.
After you get off
From Setoda Port, leave the pier with your back to the water and walk inland through the town. The distance is short and the street runs almost straight to the temple gate.