長谷寺

Overview

Chokoku-ji is a temple of the Myoshin-ji school of the Rinzai Zen sect, located in Osaka Town, Gero City, Gifu Prefecture. It bears the mountain name Yoshida-san and enshrines Kanzeon Bosatsu (the Bodhisattva of Compassion) as its principal image. As the 28th sacred site of the Mashita Saigoku Thirty-three Kannon Pilgrimage, it keeps alive a route of Kannon devotion in the mountains of Gero.

Highlights

• ●A Kannon sanctuary of the Rinzai Myoshin-ji school enshrining Kanzeon Bosatsu
• ●A pilgrimage history as the 28th site of the Mashita Saigoku Thirty-three Kannon route
• ●An unusual temple name read Chokoku-ji, with the mountain name Yoshida-san
• ●A quiet setting in the mountains of Hida-Osaka, north of the Gero hot springs

History

Chokoku-ji belongs to the Myoshin-ji school of Rinzai Zen and holds the mountain name Yoshida-san. Its principal image is Kanzeon Bosatsu, and it has preserved its dharma tradition centered on devotion to Kannon. As the 28th site of the Mashita Saigoku Thirty-three Kannon Pilgrimage, it has long welcomed pilgrims traveling the region. While many temples across Japan share the name Hase-dera or its variants, this one in Osaka Town of Gero City has traced its own path as a Kannon sanctuary.

Map

35.9507, 137.2604 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Head from Gero Onsen toward Hida-Osaka on the JR Takayama Main Line
2. 2Visit Chokoku-ji and pray to Kannon at this pilgrimage site of the Mashita Saigoku route
3. 3Enjoy the mountain nature, river valleys, and waterfall tours of Hida-Osaka
4. 4Return to Gero Onsen to soothe travel fatigue in the celebrated hot springs

Did you know?

💡 Temples named with the characters for Hase-dera are found throughout Japan, but this one in Osaka Town of Gero City is distinctive for being read Chokoku-ji. As a site on the Mashita Saigoku Thirty-three Kannon Pilgrimage, many visit it in the course of collecting temple seals or making the pilgrimage, and it is cherished as one stop on the region's Kannon circuit.

Nearby spots