Yokomine-ji

Yokomine-ji is the sixtieth temple of the Shikoku Eighty-Eight Temples pilgrimage route, situated on the slopes of Mount Ishizuchi in Komatsumachi, Saijo, Ehime. It belongs to the Omuro branch of Shingon Buddhism, with the mountain name Ishizuchisan and the hall name Fukuchiin. The principal deity is Dainichi Nyorai. According to tradition, En no Gyoja (En no Ozuno) founded the temple in 651 when he attained a vision of Zao Gongen while training at Hoshigamori overlooking Mount Ishizuchi, and carved the deity's image in a stewartia tree. During the Daido era (806-810), Kobo Daishi Kukai also entered the mountain and performed star-offering rites, later enshrining Dainichi Nyorai as the principal object of worship. The temple was briefly abolished during the Meiji-era separation of Buddhism and Shinto, becoming Ishizuchi Shrine Yokominemiya, but restored to its original name in 1909. At over 750 meters elevation, this mountain temple is celebrated for its spectacular rhododendron blossoms in spring.