汲月院

Overview

Kyugetsu-in is a Soto Zen temple in the Kamioka district of Hida City, Gifu Prefecture. Its mountain name is Yudozan, and its principal image is Shaka Nyorai (the Historical Buddha). Known as the 12th stop on the Hida Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage, the temple is rooted in the mining town of Kamioka and is also famous for enshrining a bronze figure of Konsei Daimyojin. It rewards visitors interested in both pilgrimage and unusual folk devotion.

Highlights

• ●A Soto Zen temple enshrining Shaka Nyorai as its principal image
• ●The rare object of devotion, a bronze Konsei Daimyojin
• ●A pilgrimage stop as the 12th Hida Thirty-Three Kannon site
• ●A founding legend tied to the Ushimaru family and the Yushian hermitage

History

According to temple tradition, Ushimaru Tomoyoshi, a notable of Yoshiki District, turned the former site of a Jizo hall at Nashigane into a temple to honor his late father, founding a hermitage called Yushian. Later the priest Dairun Sotan of Shuzenji was welcomed as founding abbot, and the temple took over the name Kyugetsu-in from a decayed temple that had stood in Shida District of Suruga Province. It moved to its present location in 1936, and its main hall and kitchen quarters were rebuilt anew in 1986.

Map

36.3319, 137.2975 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Head to Kyugetsu-in from the center of the mining town of Kamioka
2. 2Pray before Shaka Nyorai in grounds bearing the name Yudozan
3. 3Pay respects to the bronze Konsei Daimyojin and reflect on its origins
4. 4Continue on to other stops of the Hida Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage

Did you know?

💡 A bronze figure of Konsei Daimyojin enshrined in the precincts is a notable feature of Kyugetsu-in. The town history of Kamioka suggests that it may have been dedicated by people connected with the mines, offering a glimpse of devotion particular to a mining town.

Nearby spots