Kozoji Temple

Kozoji Temple

Kozoji Temple (庫蔵寺) in the hills of Kochicho, Toba City, Mie Prefecture, has a main hall said to date from 1561 and a guardian shrine of 1605, each designated an Important Cultural Property (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

It lies east of Kongoshoji, the temple on the summit of Mount Asama on the border of Ise and Shima, and is said to have been its inner sanctuary (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the temple was founded in 1322, and Kuki Yoshitaka, lord of Toba Castle, is said to have prayed here for the safe building of his castle.

The Two Buildings

The main hall, four bays by three under a hipped, shingled roof entered at the gable end, keeps the form of the late Muromachi period, with inventive painted patterns and carvings inside. It was designated under the former law in 1920 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).

The guardian shrine is a one-bay nagare-style hall roofed in wood shingles, designated in 1956 (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Japan Tourism Agency, it enshrines Kishimojin, the deity of childbirth and child-rearing. Each building is described on its own page.

Visiting

Both are owned by Kozoji Temple (Agency for Cultural Affairs). According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the temple can be reached only on foot, through forest from the foot of the mountain and up a steep stone stair to the main hall. The Mie tourism site gives about 1 hour 40 minutes on foot from Kintetsu Funatsu Station, notes that there is parking, and advises checking with the Toba City tourism office before visiting, as the cultural properties may not always be on view.