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Yamaguchi 🛕 Temple 📷 10

Kōzan-ji (Shimonoseki)

功山寺

A Buddhist temple built for quiet — halls, gardens and incense smoke.

See the photos How to get there Open in Maps
Best season April (blossom) and mid-November–early December (foliage)
Time needed 45–90 minutes
Admission Roughly ¥300–800 for halls and gardens (≈ $2–5)
Opening hours Typically 8:30–17:00 (shorter in winter)

Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons — click any image for the photographer and licence.

What this place is

The Kinzan Kōzan-ji (金山功山寺) is a temple of the Sōtō school of Zen faction in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It was first established as a temple of the Rinzai school by Kyoan Genjaku in 1327 of the late Kamakura era. Kōzan-ji's Butsuden, completed in 1320, is a National Treasure of Japan. This architecture in Zenshūyō (禅宗様) (aka Zen'yō) style (Zen style), combining Japanese and Chinese Buddhist design features. It is the oldest building designed in the Zenshūyō style that exists in Japan. The Chūgoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage No.19.

Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Why it is worth the trip

  • Main halls housing Buddhist statuary, some of it designated National Treasure or Important Cultural Property.
  • Gardens designed to be looked at rather than walked through — raked gravel, moss, borrowed mountain scenery.
  • Wooden architecture with deep eaves and joinery assembled without nails, often rebuilt over many centuries.

What you can do here

  • Light incense at the burner and waft the smoke over yourself before entering the main hall.
  • Sit on the veranda facing the garden — that is the intended way to see it, and it costs nothing extra.
  • Receive a goshuin seal, or try a short zazen / sutra-copying session where offered.
  • Walk the temple's pagoda, bell tower and sub-temples; many stay open later than the main hall.

Getting there

We do not have step-by-step transit directions for this spot yet. Open the location on Google Maps for routes from where you are staying.

Area: Yamaguchi

Route on Google Maps

Good to know before you go

  • Remove your shoes where indicated and carry them in the plastic bag provided.
  • Keep voices low inside halls; photography of the principal image is often prohibited.
  • Autumn foliage and spring blossom seasons bring long queues — go right at opening.

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