Classic Mt. Yoshino: From the Ropeway to Zao-do, Yoshimizu-jinja Shrine, and Nyoirin-ji Temple

Take the ropeway from Kintetsu Yoshino Station up to Mt. Yoshino to reach Zao-do, the main hall of Kinpusen-ji Temple, the head temple of Shugendo. Take in the "Hitome Senbon" view at Yoshimizu-jinja Shrine, a site associated with Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Emperor Go-Daigo, and explore the history of the Southern Court across the valley at Nyoirin-ji Temple. Finally, walk down to the station along the Whispering Path (Sasayaki no Komichi). This course can be done as a day trip by train from both Osaka and Kyoto.

History and Local Charm

Mt. Yoshino is the collective name for the mountain ridges extending from the southern bank of the Yoshino River into the Omine mountain range. With Kinpusen-ji Temple, the foundational training ground of Shugendo, at its center, temples and shrines dot the landscape, and in 2004 it was inscribed as a World Heritage site as part of the "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range."

The cherry blossoms of Yoshino have a history rooted in religious faith. En no Gyoja, the founder of Shugendo, is said to have carved the image of Zao Gongen that he perceived in a vision into a cherry tree. For this reason, cherry trees have been protected as sacred trees in Yoshino, and believers have continually offered and planted them across the mountain. Today, centered on the shiro-yamazakura (white wild cherry), around 30,000 cherry trees spanning approximately 200 varieties cover the mountain.

Mt. Yoshino has also served as a stage for historical events. In the first year of the Bunji era (1185), Yoshitsune and Shizuka Gozen fled from the pursuers sent by his brother Minamoto no Yoritomo and lived in hiding at Yoshimizu-in (now Yoshimizu-jinja Shrine). In the first year of the Engen era (1336), Emperor Go-Daigo moved here from Kyoto and made Yoshimizu-in the imperial palace of the Southern Court. The Emperor passed away here in the fourth year of the Engen era (1339) and was buried behind the main hall of Nyoirin-ji Temple. In the third year of the Bunroku era (1594), Toyotomi Hideyoshi brought a party of 5,000 people to hold a grand cherry blossom-viewing banquet.

Main Highlights

• ​Mt. Yoshino and the Ropeway​​: Opened in the 4th year of the Showa era (1929), this ropeway connects Senbon-guchi Station at the foot of the mountain to Yoshinoyama Station on the mountain, covering 349 meters in about 3 minutes. The operating company describes it as "the oldest ropeway in Japan." It is still operated manually today and was certified as a Mechanical Engineering Heritage site in 2012. The area around Yoshinoyama Station is surrounded by the cherry blossoms of Shimo-Senbon.
• ​Kinpusen-ji Temple​​: The head temple of the Kinpusen Shugen sect. The main hall, Zao-do, is a National Treasure standing 34 meters high, making it the second-largest ancient wooden building in Japan after the Great Buddha Hall of Todai-ji Temple. The current structure was completed around the 20th year of the Tensho era (1592). Housed inside are three hidden Buddhist images of the principal icon, Kongo Zao Daigongen, with the central statue being a colossus exceeding 7 meters in height.
• ​Yoshimizu-jinja Shrine​​: The site that Emperor Go-Daigo used as the Southern Court's imperial palace, where the "Senkyo-no-ma" (seclusion chamber) where Yoshitsune and Shizuka Gozen are said to have stayed still remains. The shoin (reception hall) is regarded as the oldest in the history of Japanese residential architecture and is registered as a World Heritage site. Next to the parking lot on the grounds lies the panoramic "Hitome Senbon" view, taking in the mountain cherry trees of both Naka-Senbon and Kami-Senbon at a single glance.
• ​Nyoirin-ji Temple​​: A Jodo-sect temple designated as an imperial prayer temple (chokugan-ji) by Emperor Go-Daigo. Behind the main hall is the Emperor's tomb, the Tonoo Imperial Mausoleum, which is said to be the only imperial mausoleum facing north. In the treasure hall, you can see a wooden door on which Kusunoki Masatsura carved his death poem with an arrowhead before departing for battle.

Recommended Route and Required Time

The estimated time required is about 5 hours. To Kintetsu Yoshino Station, it takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes by limited express from Osaka-Abenobashi Station. From Kyoto Station, transfer at Kashiharajingu-mae Station and take a limited express for about 1 hour and 45 minutes.

From Yoshino Station, a walk of just under 3 minutes brings you to Senbon-guchi Station of the ropeway. The ropeway is suspended on certain days of the week and replaced by substitute buses running between Senbon-guchi Station and Yoshinoyama Station. When substitute buses are full, there is also a walking path up Nanamagarizaka. Please check the operating days via the operating company's announcements.

It takes about 10 minutes on foot from Yoshinoyama Station to Zao-do. Along the way, approximately 200 meters north of the Niomon Gate stands the Kane-no-Torii, an Important Cultural Property. As the Niomon Gate is currently undergoing major dismantling and repair, look up at the massive roof of Zao-do from within the temple grounds. From Zao-do, walking about 300 meters east brings you to Yoshimizu-jinja Shrine. After viewing the Senkyo-no-ma and the throne room inside the shoin, take in the Hitome Senbon view from beside the parking lot.

Proceeding about 600 meters southeast from Yoshimizu-jinja Shrine leads to Nyoirin-ji Temple. Because it is separated from the bustling town area by a valley, it is said that one can spend time relatively leisurely even during the flower season. View the treasure hall and the tahoto pagoda, and offer a prayer at the imperial mausoleum. Walking between Nyoirin-ji Temple and Kintetsu Yoshino Station along the Whispering Path takes about 35 minutes.

Starting in early April, the cherry blossoms bloom upward in the sequence of Shimo-Senbon, Naka-Senbon, Kami-Senbon, and Oku-Senbon, allowing for flower viewing somewhere on the mountain for nearly three weeks. However, crowds during the cherry blossom season are extremely heavy, and long lines often form for the ropeway. Starting out early is recommended.

Summary of the Experience

Ascend the cherry-clad mountain on an old ropeway still operated manually, stand before the colossal Zao-do, visit the shoin where Yoshitsune and Emperor Go-Daigo once found shelter, and look out over the Hitome Senbon view from the grounds. Across the valley at Nyoirin-ji Temple, encounter the north-facing imperial mausoleum and the poem carved into a wooden door by a young warrior. In a single day, you can walk from top to bottom through a mountain where the prayers of Shugendo, cherry blossoms, and stories of the Southern Court intertwine.