From the Rural Landscapes of Hine-no-sho Estate to Shipporyu-ji Temple on Mt. Inunaki

This bus and walking route takes you from Hineno Station on a bus bound for Mt. Inunaki. You will visit Jigen-in Temple, home to a National Treasure tahoto pagoda, neighboring Hine-jinja Shrine, and the farming village of Ogi, which preserves the landscape of a medieval estate, before climbing from the final bus stop to Shipporyu-ji Temple, a sacred site of Shugendo on Mt. Inunaki. Tracing the basin of the Kashii River, which has its source on Mt. Inunaki, you follow the story of Hine-no-sho Estate as you travel from village to mountain.

History and Local Charm

This area corresponds to the land of Hine-no-sho Estate, a medieval manor belonging to the Kujo family, one of the five regent houses (go-sekke). Hine-no-sho Estate began in 1234 (Tenfuku 2) and continued until the Tenbun era. During the Sengoku period, Kujo Masamoto traveled down to this land to protect his estate. He stayed at Chofuku-ji Temple in Ogi for four years starting in 1501, chronicling his daily life in his diary, the Masamoto-ko Tabi-hikitsuke.

The history of Hine-no-sho Estate is certified as a Japan Heritage story titled "A Town Narrated by a Travel Diary and Two Illustrated Maps," with Jigen-in Temple being one of its constituent cultural properties. The current name of Jigen-in Temple was bestowed by Ninna-ji Temple during the Edo period and derives from the Buddhist title (in-go) of Kujo Masamoto. The Yukawa Canal, flowing between Jigen-in Temple and Hine-jinja Shrine, is an irrigation channel constructed for the development of the estate.

It is recorded that when suffering from drought, the villagers of Ogi prayed for rain at Hibashiri-jinja Shrine, and if the rains still did not fall, they also prayed at Shipporyu-ji Temple on Mt. Inunaki. According to temple tradition, Shipporyu-ji Temple was founded in 661 (the 7th year of Empress Saimei's reign) by En no Gyoja. Because it was opened six years earlier than Mt. Omine in Yamato, it is also called "Moto-Sanjo" (the original mountain).

Key Highlights

• ​Jigen-in Temple​​: A temple belonging to the Omuro sect of Shingon Buddhism, with Ninna-ji Temple in Kyoto as its head temple. Its tahoto (two-storied pagoda), built in 1271 (Bunei 8), is a National Treasure and is counted among the three famous tahoto pagodas of Japan, alongside Ishiyama-dera in Shiga and Kongosanmai-in on Mt. Koya. It is modest in size and features a cypress bark roof (hiwadabuki). The Kamakura-period Kondo (Main Hall) is also designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan.
• ​Ogi District​​: A rural village situated in a small basin along the Kashii River, which originates on Mt. Inunaki. In 2013, it was selected as an Important Cultural Landscape of Japan under the name "Rural Landscape of Ogi in Hine-no-sho." Comparing it to Edo-period pictorial maps reveals that the use of the land has remained largely unchanged. Visitors can see terraced rice paddies, sheds for drying winter-crop onions, old bayberry trees, and stone-walled residences.
• ​Shipporyu-ji Temple​​: The head temple of the Inunaki branch of the Shingon sect, where the entire mountain serves as an ascetic training ground for Shingon Shugendo. The "Gyoja-no-taki" waterfall on the grounds constantly draws practitioners throughout the year. Because women are also permitted to undertake ascetic training here, it is additionally known as "Nyonin Omine" (Women's Omine). Along the approach to the temple stands the grave of a faithful dog said to have saved its master's life, and the gorge formed by virgin forest and forty-eight cascades large and small reveals different charms in each season.

Recommended Route and Duration

The estimated time required is around 5 hours. All three destinations are situated along the Nankai Wing Bus route bound for Mt. Inunaki, departing from Hineno Station on the JR Hanwa Line. It is advisable to check the bus connection schedules before departing.

First, alight at "Higashikami," from where Jigen-in Temple is just a short walk away. If you wish to view the tahoto pagoda and Kondo Hall, please make an advance reservation via the temple's official website. The adjacent Hine-jinja Shrine is a shikinaisha (a shrine listed in the ancient Engishiki records) and served as the chief shrine (soja) of the Kashii River basin during the medieval period. Along with the Yukawa Canal flowing through the grounds, it conveys the historic connection between the temple and shrine during the estate era.

Board the bus bound for Mt. Inunaki again and travel approximately 3.6 km southeast to alight at "Naka-Ogi," which is right near Hibashiri-jinja Shrine. As this is an active community where residents live and work the fields, please enjoy the scenery quietly from the public roads.

Board the bus once more to the final stop, "Inunakisan." Shipporyu-ji Temple lies approximately 2.1 km southeast of Ogi; from the bus stop, follow the approach uphill for about 1 km to reach the main hall. Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes. Along the mountain stream at the foot of the mountain lies a hot spring town, offering a pleasant spot to rest after your visit.

Summary of the Experience

Gaze up at the National Treasure pagoda at a temple carrying the title of Kujo Masamoto, walk through rural scenery depicted in medieval diaries and Edo-period maps, and venture into the sacred mountain sanctuary where villagers once prayed for rain. This is a one-day journey following the flow of water as you trace Hine-no-sho Estate from the village up into the mountains.