寿楽寺

Overview

Juraku-ji is a Soto Zen temple in the Furukawa district of Hida City, Gifu Prefecture. Bearing the mountain name Nankozan, it enshrines a figure of Yakushi Nyorai (the Medicine Buddha) said to date from the Kamakura period. The temple serves as the 38th stop on the Chubu Forty-Nine Yakushi pilgrimage and the 13th stop on the Hida Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage, quietly welcoming travelers on the pilgrim routes of the Hida region.

Highlights

• ●Worship of the Kamakura-period Medicine Buddha, the temple's principal image
• ●The quiet of a Soto Zen temple under the mountain name Nankozan
• ●A pilgrimage stop as the 38th site of the Chubu Forty-Nine Yakushi route
• ●The 13th Hida Thirty-Three Kannon site, home to a Nyoirin Kannon

History

Because its principal image of Yakushi Nyorai is traditionally attributed to the Kamakura period, Juraku-ji is regarded as a temple with a long history of devotion. As a Soto Zen temple it has maintained its Buddhist lineage while also serving two distinct pilgrimage circuits: the Chubu Forty-Nine Yakushi route centered on the Medicine Buddha, and the Hida Thirty-Three Kannon route, which venerates a Nyoirin Kannon. For details of its founding and the dates of its halls, please check official sources or on-site notices.

Map

36.2553, 137.1730 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Set out from Hida-Furukawa Station and stroll the old town
2. 2Visit Juraku-ji and pray before Yakushi Nyorai and the Kannon
3. 3Spend a quiet moment in the Zen temple grounds
4. 4Round off the walk along Furukawa's white-walled storehouses and the Setogawa canal

Did you know?

💡 It is unusual for a single temple to sit at the crossing of two pilgrimage systems: the Chubu Forty-Nine Yakushi circuit honoring the Medicine Buddha and the Hida Thirty-Three Kannon circuit honoring Nyoirin Kannon. Visitors can pay respects to both the Buddha and the Kannon in one visit.

Nearby spots