The One about Mount Takao in Hachioji Part 8 - Head Temple Takao-san Yakuo-in

When it comes to Mount Takao, there are people who want to hike to the top and you have those who traveled to the location to visit the Head Temple Takao-san Yakuo-in.

I’m going to have to break this down into two parts because unlike other temples which was easier for me to cover on one blog post, Yakuo-in is a bit different.

As yesterday’s blog post featured arriving at Shitenno-Mon Gate, to help one understand why I’ll need to break it down into probably 2-3 blog posts is the following:

As you can see in the map, once you go past the gate, there are many things that await you.

But first, let’s talk about the Buddhist temple Yakuo-in (formerly known as Takao-san Yakuo-in Yuki-ji).

The temple was established in 744 on the orders of Emperor Shomu as a base for Buddhism in Easter Japan and the temple was founded by Gyoki, a priest who was associated with the erection of the Great Buddha at Todai-ji Temple in Nara.

The temple was restored in the 14th century by a priest named Shungen Daitoku, a priest from Mount Daigo in Kyoto, which happens to be one of the most sacred sits of Shingon esoteric Buddhism.

Shungen would receive a living vision of the deity Izuna Daigongen and so, he enshrined this deity as the principal image. And because of Shungen, Yakuo-in became connected to the Singon esoteric Buddhism and Mount Takao would eventually become a Shugendo center.

And would become one of the three head temples of the Shingon-shu Chisan-ha Sect, the others are Narirta-san Shinsho-ji and Kawasaki Daishi Heiken-ji.

You will come upon two statues of Tengu, long-nosed demon-like beings who dwell on the sacred mountain and are the messengers of the deities and buddhas to chastise evildoers and protect the good.

They are often seen holding uchiwa (Japanese fan) which blows away misfortune and brings in good fortune.

And just inside the gate, there are quite a few things to see:

On your way to the main hall, you can rest your feet or use the restroom. There is also a cafe that sells ice cream and other sweets. Also, next door is a place where you can purchase items to be used while nearing the main hall.

But now it’s time to visit the main hall of the Head Temple Takao-san Yakuo-in.

The Main Hall is a key place that many people come to pray and it’s also where Goma, a fire ritual is performed.

In esoteric Buddhism, the belief is that it will lead people to a spiritually higher realm. The priest performing the goma sits on a platform and casts small wooden sticks, which symbolize people’s defilements, into the purifying fire. The priest and those participating in the ritual all become one in body, speech and mind with the deity Izuna Daigonen.

The wisdom of Izuna Daigonen purifies the defilements and extinguishes all illusions and opens the path to enlightenment.

Those who participate in the ritual will receive wooden tablets called gomafuda which are considered to be incarnations of Izuna Diagongen. Those taking it home take care of these gomafuda and devotees chant the mantra “Namu Izuna Diagongen”.

Around February 3rd ever year, several times a day, men and women born under the same calendrical sign are the current year strew dried beans from the Main Hall. The belief is that by doing this after a goma ritual, bad fortune is cast out and good fortune is invited to the home. If you eat the beans, they say you will be free of illness and misfortune for the next year.

Once you are done with the Main Hall, there is still a lot more to see. And you will be presented with two paths.

To the right is the Daishi-do Hall, Shoten-do Hall and Aizen-do Hall. Also, there is another shrine that people come to see and that is the Tengu-sha Shrine, which I will discuss in the upcoming posts.

Here is a video I shot from the Main Hall and near Shitenno-Mon Gate (which was streamed on Facebook Live):