Jizokura is a historic Buddhist site in the mountains of Hijiori Onsen in Okura Village, Yamagata Prefecture. Located among striking rock formations and steep tuff cliffs, this secluded sacred site is traditionally said to have been established approximately 600 years ago.
Stone statues of Jizo Bodhisattva are enshrined beneath the rock overhangs, where they have been objects of worship for generations. According to local tradition, this is also where an elderly monk associated with the founding legend of Hijiori Onsen once lived.
Jizokura is also known as a place where visitors pray for good relationships, fertility and children, and prosperity in business. Its secluded setting, rock formations, and long history of religious devotion give it a distinctive atmosphere.
The rock walls at Jizokura contain countless small holes formed naturally over many years. A traditional custom here is to insert a thinly twisted strip of paper known as a koyori into one of these holes while making a wish.
According to local belief, if you can successfully pass the koyori through a hole in the rock, your wish will come true. The practice is particularly associated with prayers for relationships, having children, and prosperity in business.
Jizokura can be reached on foot via a walking trail from Hijiori Onsen. The journey takes approximately 40 minutes at a leisurely pace.
The trail passes through a beautiful beech forest, and views of the Copper Mountain River (Dosanzawa River) can be seen through the trees along the way. The walk itself is part of the attraction, allowing visitors to enjoy the surrounding mountain landscape before reaching the sacred site.
In spring, the forest is filled with fresh green foliage, while summer brings cool, refreshing air beneath the dense canopy. In autumn, the leaves turn brilliant shades of color, transforming the trail into a beautiful seasonal landscape.
Visitors to Jizokura can therefore enjoy not only the destination but also the changing beauty of the forest throughout the year.
Jizokura is closely associated with an old legend explaining the origins of Hijiori Onsen.
According to tradition, Hijiori Onsen was discovered in 807, during the early Heian period, by a wandering ascetic named Genno, also known as Katami Gen’emon, who is said to have come from Bungo Province in Kyushu.
While traveling through the mountains in search of a route to the Dewa Sanzan, the sacred mountains of Yamagata, Genno became lost. In the mountains of Hijiori, he encountered an elderly monk who was said to live at Jizokura.
The old monk was believed to be an incarnation of Jizo Bodhisattva.
The elderly monk told Genno about the hot springs at Hijiori and is also said to have guided him toward a route leading to Mount Yudono, one of the Dewa Sanzan.
Following the monk’s instructions, Genno later moved with his family to the foot of Jizokura. Local tradition regards this settlement as the beginning of Hijiori Onsen.
Because of this legend, Jizokura is more than an isolated historic site in the mountains. It is cherished as a place representing the spiritual and legendary origins of Hijiori Onsen.
The area around Jizokura was once closely associated with Shugendo, a Japanese tradition of mountain asceticism and spiritual training.
In earlier times, the area was reportedly home to Mitsuzoin, a temple of the Shingon school of Buddhism, as well as Bungoya, accommodation for mountain ascetics and pilgrims. The area therefore served as an important base for mountain religious practices.
Later, toward the end of the Meiji period, when the Kanno family left Hijiori, Mitsuzoin was reportedly passed to the Yokoyama family of Kameya Ryokan. Remnants and traditions associated with this earlier religious landscape can still be sensed around Jizokura today.
Today, six stone Jizo statues are enshrined beneath the overhang of the tuff cliff at Jizokura. A wooden main sanctuary stands nearby, creating a quiet place of worship deep in the mountains.
The combination of the rock cliff, stone Buddhist statues, and wooden architecture creates a distinctive landscape. Compared with the lively atmosphere of Hijiori Onsen itself, Jizokura offers a much quieter and more mysterious setting.
Every year on July 14, Jizokura hosts the Founding Festival, commemorating the traditional origins of Hijiori Onsen.
During the festival, ascetics carry a statue of Jizo on a portable shrine from Jizokura down to the hot spring town. The procession expresses gratitude for the blessings of the hot spring deity and honors the generations of people who protected and passed down the hot spring tradition.
Yuza Shrine is a hot spring shrine in Hijiori Onsen and also serves as the starting point for the walking trail to Jizokura. The shrine stands at the top of a staircase beside the communal bathhouse known as Uenoyu.
Yuza Shrine enshrines Bhaisajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha, and Sukunahikona-no-Mikoto, a deity associated with healing and other blessings. The site was originally a Buddhist temple, but its Kannon Hall was destroyed during the Meiji-period movement to separate Buddhism and Shinto. It subsequently remained as a shrine known as Yakushi Shrine.
Yuza Shrine is traditionally said to have been founded in 1390, and one tradition identifies this year as the founding date of Hijiori Onsen itself. Another widely known tradition places the discovery of the hot springs much earlier, in 807.
The existence of different traditions concerning the origins of Hijiori Onsen reflects the area’s long history and the many layers of religious tradition that have developed around the hot springs.
Near the entrance to the grounds of Yuza Shrine stands the Akibayama Stone Monument, which is associated with prayers for protection against fire. The monument bears the inscription “Kabiha-yama”, said to have been written by Nan-zan, a monk of Zuihoji Temple.
During the middle of the Edo period, serious fires reportedly occurred repeatedly in Hijiori Onsen. According to tradition, local residents visited Zuihoji and asked Nan-zan to write an inscription expressing their prayers for protection from fire.
Hijiori Onsen, where Jizokura is located, is a historic hot spring town that still retains the atmosphere of a traditional toji resort, where people once stayed for extended periods to rest and bathe in hot springs.
Several traditional inns offer naturally flowing hot spring water, while the simple streetscape and quiet mountain setting give the town a relaxed, old-fashioned character.
Hijiori Onsen lies at the eastern edge of the Hijiori Caldera, a depression formed by volcanic activity. The area is also one of Japan’s major heavy-snow regions, and snowfall can sometimes exceed 4 meters in winter.
One of the experiences not to be missed when visiting Hijiori Onsen is its traditional morning market. Early in the day, local vendors sell seasonal mountain vegetables, fresh produce, and other goods.
Visiting the market alongside a stay at a traditional hot spring inn offers travelers a chance to experience the everyday atmosphere of the community and the simple pleasures of life in this remote mountain town.
Jizokura is a secluded sacred site deeply connected with the founding legend and religious history of Hijiori Onsen. The six Jizo statues beneath the rock cliff, the tradition of making wishes with koyori, the area’s history of Shugendo, and the legend of the elderly monk believed to have been an incarnation of Jizo all contribute to its unique character.
The site can be reached by approximately 40 minutes of walking from the hot spring town, with the trail passing through a peaceful beech forest and offering views of the river along the way.
One rewarding way to experience the area is to begin at Yuza Shrine, follow the mountain trail to Jizokura, and then return to Hijiori Onsen for a relaxing soak in its historic hot springs. This combination brings together mountain nature, local legends, religious heritage, and traditional hot spring culture in a single journey.