Mount Shigi 信貴山
View of Mount Shigi and its temples
JNTO
The mountain of legends
East of Osaka, Mount Shigi is home to a collection of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. A beautiful spiritual excursion less than an hour from Kyoto and Osaka, lesser-known to tourists.
The temple mount
Located between Osaka and Nara, the small Mount Shigi culminates at 437 meters. This sacred hill is home to a whole set of temples, including the famous Chogosonshi-ji. It is also the birthplace of many legends and the Battle of Shigisan of 587. This mountain, easily accessible from Osaka or Nara, is less frequented than its big brothers such as Mount Koya and provides a nice breath of fresh air off the beaten track.
You will arrive by bus at the foot of the mountain, in the small village of Shigisannishi. You will have to start climbing the steps through a path marked by stone lanterns, the toro. Many ways intersect throughout the sacred place, and you will wonder at your own pace between the different temples, the torii, and the chozuya (basins for purification). It takes a good hour to survey the whole site. At one end of the complex is a giant Buddha statue.
To discover: Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, what are the differences?
Finally, you will undoubtedly notice the presence of many statues of tigers, which are the guardians of the mountain. The greatest of them (6 meters long!) welcomes visitors from the foot of the hill, and you can find these tigers everywhere in the souvenir shops on the premises.
On the other side, you will find the most critical and most significant temple of Mount Shigi. With its real name Chogosonshi-ji and popularly called "Shigisan," this temple was founded in the 7th century by Prince Shotoku (574-622). The main building is accompanied by two pagodas and a staircase lined with torii leading to a small Shinto shrine at the top of the mountain. From the temple terrace, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the valley below.
The Legends of Mount Shigi
Shigisan Temple holds a national treasure, the Shigisan engi maki: three painted scrolls ( emaki ) illustrating temple legends. They depict three miracles relating to a monk named Myoren who lived on Mount Shigi. These scrolls date from the 12th century and are classified as a National Treasure of Japan. The first scroll narrates the miracle of the flying attic, the second the healing of Emperor Gaigo, and the third the adventures of Myoren's older sister.
You can admire these scrolls at the Nara National Museum.
To read: Japanese illustrated scrolls.
The Shigisan temple was founded by Shotoku, a son of an emperor who lived in the 7th century. This prince, a fervent Buddhist, preached his beliefs, which brought him into conflict with the Mononobe family, and opposed the spread of this religion from abroad.
Finding himself at Mount Shigi, Shotoku prayed for victory. Bishamon-ten, a Buddhist deity connected with war, then visited him and whispered a strategy that would surely make him victorious. The prince noticed that the god had appeared to him during the hour of the tiger, the day of the tiger, and the year of the tiger. He was then well led to victory in the Battle of Shigisan. In gratitude, the prince, therefore, had the Chogosonshi temple erected in honor of Bishamon-ten and chose the tiger as the symbol of the god.
Address, timetable & access
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Address
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Phone
(+81) 745-72-2277 -
Timetable
Take the JR Yamatoji Line from Tennoji Station in Osaka. Get off at Sango station, then take the Nara Kotsu bus to Mount Shigi. You can also take the Kintetsu-Shigi line from Uehommachi Station in Osaka. -
Price
300 yen (2€30) -
Access
April - September: 8:30 am - 5:30 pm. October - March: 9 am - 5 pm.
