久昌寺

Overview

Kyusho-ji is a Soto Zen temple in Sunoya, Miyagawa-cho, in the city of Hida, Gifu Prefecture. Its mountain name is Zuiryuzan, and its principal image is Shakyamuni Buddha. A separate statue of Sho Kannon (the Sacred Avalokitesvara) is enshrined here as well, and the temple serves as the 20th stop on the Hida Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage. Tucked into a quiet mountain hamlet in northern Hida, it preserves the plain, unhurried atmosphere of rural faith.

Highlights

• ●The Sho Kannon statue enshrined as the 20th stop of the Hida Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage
• ●The hidden Amida Buddha, unveiled every seven years, and its legend of surviving fire and theft
• ●The plain, dignified Soto Zen halls rebuilt in 1889
• ●A history that shifted from Shingon roots as a shrine-temple to a Zen monastery

History

The date of its founding is unclear. The temple is said to have begun as a Shingon Buddhist hall attached to the nearby Sunoya Hakusan Shrine. Left without a resident priest in the Edo period, it fell into decline until Hakuho Taitei, the fourth abbot of Sogen-ji in Takayama, revived it as a Zen temple in 1656. During the Kyowa era the priest Gyokuen Dairyu restored its buildings, but a fire destroyed the temple in 1879. The current halls were rebuilt in 1889 by the 23rd abbot, Daien Kenko.

Map

36.4172, 137.1965 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Drive from central Hida toward the hamlet of Sunoya
2. 2Pay your respects at the main hall of Kyusho-ji, set among the hills
3. 3Bow before Sho Kannon as the 20th site of the Hida Kannon pilgrimage
4. 4Take in the surrounding mountain scenery and savor the quiet of a Zen temple

Did you know?

💡 The hidden statue of Amida Buddha is said to have escaped repeated fires and thefts of its own accord, and it has long drawn devoted local faith. Because its doors are opened only once every seven years, simply being present for the unveiling is itself a rare experience.

Nearby spots