Furuiwaya is an area of bizarre rock formations on Kuma Highland in central Ehime. There are more than twenty huge conical formations, ranging in height from 60 to 100 metres. They’re conglomerations of mudstone and pebbles laid down in the early Miocene epoch, twenty million years ago. Large holes pock their surface. Furuiwaya means “ancient rock house”, and ascetics once lived and practised austerities in the larger cavities in the rocks. Temple 45, Iwaya-ji, is built into these rocks, and Kūkai is reputed to have meditated at the site of today’s temple and contended with Amanojaku, an antagonistic demon. Furuiwaya is on the trail between Temples 44 and 45.

The rocks are home to many species of trees, shrubs, and flowers including orchids, which present a constantly changing appearance in each season.