Taisanji Temple
licensed photographReggaeman / CC BY-SA 3.0

Ehime · Matsuyama north-westNo.1314★★Open in map →

Taisanji Temple

historyOff the trail — and worth it

A Shikoku pilgrimage temple on a hillside north-west of central Matsuyama. Its approach climbs through three gates, and the main hall at the top is a National Treasure and among the largest halls of its kind in Japan.

  1. FromMatsuyamashi Station
  2. Train, then a loop busIyotetsu train, then a loop bus
  3. Get off atTaisanji (Iyotetsu Bus)
  4. On foot
  5. Taisanji Temple
Directions ↗

The sweet spot

It is not a hidden temple. It is a numbered stop on the Shikoku pilgrimage, and Matsuyama City presents its main hall as a National Treasure. It simply sits outside the usual castle-and-Dogo circuit, and getting there takes a suburban train and a local bus rather than the city tram.

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

Niomon GateReggaeman / CC BY-SA 3.0
  1. First gate (Ichinomon)the outer gate where the long approach to the temple begins
  2. Niomon Gatethe second gate, from the Kamakura period, with guardian figures standing in its side bays
  3. Sanmon (third gate)the last of the three gates before the main hall
  4. Main halla National Treasure, seven bays wide and nine deep under a tiled hip-and-gable roof

How to actually get there

  1. Matsuyamashi Station → Mitsu Station (Iyotetsu Takahama Line, toward Takahama).
  2. Mitsu-eki-mae → Taisanji (Iyotetsu Bus, Mitsu Loop Line; check the timetable for both directions).
  3. Taisanji stop → main hall (walk west and uphill along the temple approach, about 500 m in a straight line).
  4. Main hall → Taisanji stop → Mitsu-eki-mae (loop bus), then the Takahama Line back to Matsuyamashi Station.
Iyotetsu Takahama Line, then the Mitsu loop bus
From Matsuyamashi Station, take an Iyotetsu Takahama Line train toward Takahama and get off at Mitsu. From the Mitsu-eki-mae stop outside the station, take the Iyotetsu bus on the Mitsu Loop Line and get off at Taisanji. Look up the loop bus on Iyotetsu's timetable before you set out, and note the return times too.
Loop bus and train back
Retrace the route: the loop bus from Taisanji to Mitsu-eki-mae, then the Takahama Line back to Matsuyamashi Station. Decide which return bus you will catch before you start the climb.
Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Taisanji is the 52nd of the 88 temples on the Shikoku pilgrimage. It belongs to the Chisan branch of Shingon Buddhism, and its principal image is an eleven-headed Kannon. The temple stands on the hillside above Taisanji-cho, the district that shares its name, north-west of central Matsuyama. From the bus stop in the village to the main hall, the ground rises about 50 metres, and the approach passes through three gates on the way up. Matsuyama City counts the main hall among the largest halls of esoteric Buddhism in the country.

How to enjoy it

Walk the approach gate by gate and let the main hall come last; the climb is part of the visit. Settle both the outward and the return loop-bus times before you leave Matsuyama, so you can take your time in the grounds.

Background & history

Temple tradition traces its founding to the late sixth century. The best-known story says that Mano Choja, a wealthy man from Bungo in present-day Oita, raised the hall in a single night. The present main hall was rebuilt in 1305 and was designated a National Treasure in 1956. The Niomon, the second gate on the approach, also dates from the Kamakura period and became an Important Cultural Property in 1904.

Before you go

Cash
Neither Matsuyama City's tourism site nor the prefecture's lists an admission fee for the grounds. Pay the bus fare on board, and check the fare display as you get on.
Before you go
The walk from the bus stop is uphill all the way, so allow extra time on a hot or wet day. The main hall is a working place of worship, so follow any signs about photography inside.
Another way
By car, the temple has free parking: Wikipedia and the prefecture's tourism site both list about 50 spaces for cars. The nearest JR station is Iyo-Wake on the Yosan Line, about 2.5 km away.
After you get off
From the Taisanji stop, head west on foot and uphill. The main hall is about 500 metres away in a straight line, at the top of the approach.