Buddhist temple
Saisan-ji
西山寺（さいさんじ）
Makinohara, Shizuoka Prefecture
A temple of the Kōyasan Shingon sect in Makinohara City, bearing the mountain name Iōzan, which enshrines as its principal image a hidden Yakushi Rurikō Nyorai said to have been made in the late Heian period.
English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む
Prayers associated with this place
Principal image: Yakushi Rurikō Nyorai (hidden buddha)
History and things to know
According to the temple's tradition, it is said to have been opened by Kōbō Daishi in Tenchō 2 (825), and it once flourished with as many as twelve sub-temples, but it was burned in the fighting between the Takeda and the Tokugawa in the Sengoku period. In the Edo period Gyokusen-bō was revived as Saisan-ji, and its Yakushi Hall, built in Kan'ei 13 (1636), is designated a cultural property of the prefecture.
Introduced by this site, based on materials from the shrine or temple and public bodies.
Related kami and buddhas
Before you visit
The principal image is a hidden buddha, and usually a maedachi (stand-in) image of Yakushi Nyorai receives visitors. The Tokyo mission office listed on the official website is in a different place from the main temple in Makinohara City.
Official website of the shrine or temple (may be in Japanese)
Sources (in Japanese)
- 西山寺「御祭神・御本尊・由緒の公式案内」（2026-10-22 確認）
This site is independent of the shrines, temples, and other websites mentioned. No partnership or endorsement is implied.