Temple 47, Yasaka-ji

The Temple of the Eight Slopes

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Temple 47, Yasaka-ji

Yasaka-ji, The Temple of the Eight Slopes, is temple No. 47 on the Shikoku pilgrimage, or Henro. It stands on a hill in the south of Matsuyama.

What to see

A long, straight road leads up to the temple past farmhouses, and from a distance, the temple has a festive, colourful look about it. The roofs are a mix of copper green and dark tile rising amid lush greenery, and the grounds are adorned with rows of bright red flags. The main gate with its depiction of angels on its canopy also serves as a bridge across a stream. Crossing the bridge, there’s the temple office and priest’s quarters on the right with a washbasin in front of it. To the left is a stone pagoda with the belfry up some stone steps.

The main hall is in front of you. It’s built of concrete and was completed in 1984. A door in the left side of the main hall takes you to a basement full of serried rows of 8,000 ceramic Amida Buddha statuettes purchased by devotees from around the country, each with the person’s name on it. Another unusual feature to the side of the main hall is the two little tunnels representing the Buddhist heaven and hell.

To the right of the main hall are the Gongen Hall and Juni-sha Gongen Hall, and to the left of the main hall is an Enma Hall and Daishi Hall. In front of the main hall stands a beautiful tall gingko tree. The temple has a huge graveyard with views towards Matsuyama and beyond. Matsuyama Castle can be seen atop its hill.

Reflecting the Shugendō origins of Yasaka-ji, there are statues of Fudō Myōō and En no Gyōja. In the area near the car park, a Goma fire ritual is held every year, and believers walk barefoot over smoking embers.

History

According to temple legend, the temple was founded by En no Gyōja, and in 701, the provincial governor of Iyo, built a hall on the orders of Emperor Monmu. The name of the temple is said to have come from eight slopes that were cut at the time, although it’s more likely that the temple takes its name from the eight kofun tombs (‘yatsu zuka’) nearby associated with the legend of Emon Saburō. The temple temporarily fell into disrepair but is said to have been rebuilt by Kūkai.

In the late Kamakura period, a local priest and believer in Kumano Gongen promoted the deity at the temple. Thereafter, Yasaka-ji flourished as a centre of Shugendō becoming a large temple with forty-eight branch temples, and many monks and soldiers. However, during the wars of the late 1500s, it burnt down and was reduced in size. After Kumano worship declined in Shikoku, the temple again flourished through the worship of Mt. Ishizuchi worship.

Legends

Emon Saburō, the first person to walk the pilgrimage route in Kūkai’s footsteps, is said to have lived in this area. Close to Yasaka-ji are eight tumuli, which are said to be the graves of Emon Saburō’s eight sons. The name of the temple is likely to have taken its name from the tombs.