Shōsan-ji (Kamiyama)
Shōsan-ji (Kamiyama)
Shōsan-ji, also called Shozan-ji, is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Kamiyama, Tokushima, Japan. It belongs to the Kōyasan Shingon-shū sect and honors Kokūzō Bosatsu.
It is the 12th temple on the 88-temple Shikoku Pilgrimage and sits about 706 meters above sea level, making it the second-highest temple on the route.
Legends say a mountain ascetic, En no Gyoja, calmed a fiery serpent on the mountain. Later, in 815, Kukai (Kobo Daishi) saw the mountain burning again and sealed the serpent in a cave with the help of Kokūzō Bosatsu. Emon Saburō, a pilgrimage figure, is said to have died about 1.6 kilometers away at Joshin-an.
Shōsan-ji is the first “nansho” (a difficult or hard-to-reach place) on the Shikoku pilgrimage, because the approach from Fujii-dera involves over 11 kilometers of steep trails. It can also be reached by road, with about 70–80 parking spots.
Location: Kamiyama, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:06 (CET).