Iwaya-ji

Iwaya-ji is the forty-fifth temple on the Shikoku Eighty-Eight Temple Pilgrimage and, as its name suggests, is a mystical temple built within a massive rock cave. Located deep in the mountains of Kuma Kogen, its distinctive structure utilizing natural rock caverns is striking. The rock cave where Kobo Daishi is said to have practiced continues to inspire many pilgrims with a sense of mystery and reverence today. As a sacred site where mountain worship and Buddhism have merged, this spiritual place is visited by those seeking spiritual purification and enlightenment and is said to possess particular spiritual efficacy.