Mt. Minobu-san身延山

A cedar forest surrounds 287 stone steps. The Pacific Ocean and Mt. Fuji can be viewed from the top of Mt. Minobu-san.

Mt. Minobu-san is 1,153 meters high and rises from Minobu-machi in south Yamanashi. The sacred mountain houses Kuon-ji Temple, headquarters of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism. The Nichiren sect was founded by a high priest called Nichiren in the middle of the 13th century. Nichiren was invited to a hermitage on this mountain by sect leader Dan'otsu Hakii Sanenaga, who governed this land in those days. Thus, the Nichiren sect originated on this mountain.

As you enter from the great gate near Minobu Station and walk along 1.3-kilometer-long busy approach path going through the temple town, you will see a magnificent temple gate that was rebuilt in the early 20th century. You will then see 287 stone steps called Bodaitei amid a cedar forest that leads you to the temple precincts. The grand sanctuary building, an octagonal shrine where the ashes of Nichiren lie, and other magnificent structures overwhelm every visitor.

As you climb further from Kuon-ji Temple for 5 kilometers along the western valley, you will reach the top of Mt. Minobu-san where Okuno-in, or the inner shrine, stands with a statue of Nichiren. From here, you can see Mt. Fuji, Mt. Shichimen-zan, and the Pacific Ocean and Suruga Bay beyond. You can also take the Minobu-san Ropeway from the back of the main temple of Kuon-ji to get to the top.