妙福寺

Overview

Myofuku-ji is a temple of the Nichiren school located in the Akasawa-juku district of Hayakawa Town, Yamanashi Prefecture. Its mountain name is Chotoku-san. Standing quietly in a mountain post town at the foot of the Southern Alps, it preserves a faith connected to Kuon-ji on Mount Minobu, the traditional head temple of its lineage.

Highlights

• ●A Nichiren-school main hall bearing the mountain name Chotoku-san
• ●A setting that conveys ties to Minobu Kuon-ji, its former head temple
• ●Scenery woven into the traditional streets of Akasawa-juku
• ●Crisp mountain air amid the peaks of the Southern Alps

History

According to temple tradition, it was founded by Nichiro Bosatsu and opened by Nichigaku. With Minobu Kuon-ji as its former head temple, Myofuku-ji is deeply rooted in the Nichiren faith centered on Mount Minobu. Akasawa-juku itself flourished as a relay station on the pilgrimage route linking Mount Minobu and Mount Shichimen, and the temple welcomed pilgrims as a local place of prayer.

Map

35.3976, 138.3777 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Drive to Akasawa-juku in Hayakawa Town and take in the townscape from the entrance
2. 2Walk the stone-paved lane and visit Myofuku-ji
3. 3Stroll among the wooden-walled houses that recall the old pilgrimage lodgings
4. 4Reflect on the history of the Minobu pilgrimage road while enjoying the surrounding mountains

Did you know?

💡 Akasawa-juku is designated a national Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings, recalling its past as a lodging town for pilgrimage confraternities. Myofuku-ji sits naturally within this townscape, quietly evoking the old culture of mountain pilgrimage.

Nearby spots