A Journey of Rebirth

A course that lets you experience the prayer rituals and spiritual healing practiced by those who sought rebirth in the Pure Land. After learning about Tateyama Worship at Tenjikan, you’ll visit sites depicted in Tateyama Mandalas, including Enmado Hall and Nunobashi Bridge, as well as Yobokan, located near the former site of Ubado Hall. Experience the healing and profound emotions that these rebirth rituals brought to people in ancient times.

Recommended: 40 min.

Paid admission

Tenjikan (Exhibition Hall)

The ancient Japanese belief that “souls journey into the mountains after death” merged with Buddhist teachings, leading Mt. Tateyama to become known as “the hell closest to Kyoto (the capital).” Over time, climbing the mountain came to be regarded as a form of ascetic practice, through which one experienced hell as a path to rebirth. At Tenjikan, visitors will learn about the story of Tateyama Worship, which has brought spiritual salvation to many. The exhibition highlights the veneration of Ubason and the Nunobashi Kanjoe ceremony, which was performed for women, who were forbidden to climb the mountain.

Explore More

10-minute walk
Recommended: 20 min.

Enmado Hall

Enmado Hall, a central religious facility of Ashikuraji, enshrines Enma, the king of hell. The current building was constructed in 1928. Enma was believed to judge the sins of the deceased and decide their fate in the afterlife. During the Nunobashi Kanjoe, which was performed for women, who were forbidden from climbing Mt. Tateyama, prayers were offered at Enmado Hall before crossing the Nunobashi Bridge and completing the ritual at Ubado.

Learn
More！

Myonenzaka

Myonenzaka is a slope leading from Enmado Hall to Nunobashi Bridge and was likely developed in 1825. Today, various stone statues line the slope, including donated Jizo Bosatsu and Kannon Bosatsu statues, monuments inscribed with Sanskrit seed syllables, Rokujizo (the Six Jizo Statues), and Buddhist steles (pilgrimage memorial stones) installed by the Shingon monk Ryuen.

10-minute walk
Recommended: 15 min.

Nunobashi Bridge

Descending Myonenzaka slope from Enmado Hall, you will reach the Ubado River at the bottom. Nunobashi (literally nuno for “cloth” and bashi for “bridge”) is named for the white cloth laid across it during bridge-crossing ceremonies in the Edo period. The “Nunobashi Kanjoe” ceremony was held to guide women, who were believed destined to hell after death, toward rebirth in the Pure Land.
The ceremony viewed the river’s banks as “this world” and “the other world,” with the bridge as a means to cross the boundary. Women would symbolically cross to the “other world,” offer prayers, then return to “this world,” symbolizing their rebirth and salvation.

10-minute walk
Duration: 40 min.

Paid admission

Yobokan (Theater)

This theater stands near the former site of Ubado Hall, where the Nunobashi Kanjoe ceremony was performed. Through a large three-screen multi-display and high-quality sound system, visitors can immersively experience Tateyama’s natural environment and the vivid world of Tateyama Mandalas. Two films are screened: Shin Tateyama Mandala Ezu, which provides an easy-to-understand introduction to Tateyama Worship, and Tateyama 1990, which showcases Tateyama’s natural beauty.

Screening times: 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00
* Each session features both films shown in succession (Total duration: 40 min).

Winter season (November – March) features different presentations.

Explore More