Engyo-ji Temple (Mount Shosha)
書写山圓教寺
A thousand-year-old Tendai temple on Mount Shosha north of Himeji, known as the “Hiei of the West” and a filming location for The Last Samurai.
Engyo-ji was founded in 966 by the monk Shōkū and sits on Mount Shosha at about 371 meters above sea level. It is revered as the “Hieizan of the West” and is the 27th temple of the Saigoku Thirty-three Kannon Pilgrimage. The Mani-do Hall, supported by wooden pillars on a cliff; the Great Lecture Hall, arranged in a shape like the katakana “コ”; and the Dining Hall and Jogyo-do Hall together form the “Three Halls,” which are magnificent. The Last Samurai and several taiga dramas were filmed here. The entrance fee is about 1,000 yen, and the round-trip ropeway costs about 1,200 yen. The mountain paths have many ups and downs. From JR Himeji Station, a Shinki bus takes about 30 minutes to the ropeway station, and the temple can be visited on the same day as Himeji Castle.
Opening hours
Approx. 08:30–17:00 (varies by season)
Nearby sights
- Himeji Castle
- Akashi Park & Akashi Castle
- Uonotana Shopping Street
- Akashi Kaikyo Bridge & Maiko Marine Promenade
- Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Ijokaku)
- Sumaura Sanjo Yuen
- Kobe Suma Sea World
- Sorakuen Garden