大乗院三仭坊

Iwata City, Shizuoka

Daijoin Mihirobo Temple

大乗院三仭坊

A Yamabushi Prayer Center Closely Connected to People's Lives

Located in Nakaizumi, Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture, "Daijoin Mihirobo Temple" is affectionately known as 'Mihirobo-san.' Long a place where people have sought help with their concerns, the temple serves as a center for prayer rituals conducted by yamabushi (Japanese religious ascetics who undergo rigorous training in the mountains). These practitioners perform prayers and purification rituals and offer house-layout assessments and fortune readings, helping people address a wide range of worries and uncertainties. From major life aspirations and concerns about the future to personal worries and everyday problems, the temple offers an approachable place to seek advice. It is cherished as a warm, welcoming temple for those hoping to fulfill a wish, ease their worries, or find a way forward.

Tokugawa Ieyasu also revered the shrine and visited it as a place of prayer protecting the kimon, the traditionally inauspicious northeast direction, of his residence in Iwata. According to tradition, he personally planted a sago palm there in gratitude for prayers for victory in battle.
This temple has long been associated with yamabushi, mountain ascetics who underwent rigorous training in the mountains. Drawing on the powers of Shugendo cultivated through practice in the sacred mountains, the temple continues to conduct prayer rites while responding to people's concerns and wishes.
Mihirobo Daigongen, regarded as one of the Enshu Seven Tengu, is enshrined as the principal image. Even today, the temple continues to respond to the many concerns and wishes brought by those who seek its prayers.

From the Chief priest!

Chief priest

Ogasa Ryoun

A chief priest and Shugendo practitioner who has undergone rigorous training in the mountains, he listens to people's concerns and prayers. From major life decisions to everyday anxieties, he offers each person compassionate support.

Yamabushi Prayers That Continue alongside the People

A yamabushi undergoes rigorous training in the mountains while also raising a family and experiencing the joys and hardships of everyday life. Because he lives much like those who seek his guidance, he is able to support people from a close and understanding perspective through the many concerns they face in life. Through prayer rites and consultation, he offers support from birth through major milestones and new beginnings, and ultimately through the final stage of life.
A Source of Support from Everyday Doubts to Major Decisions

Another distinctive feature is the wide range of services offered, from jichinsai ground-purification rites and house-orientation assessments when building a home to personal fortune readings. Drawing on a perspective rooted in yamabushi practice, prayers are offered for concerns ranging from everyday matters to major new stages in life, providing guidance when taking a new step forward.
Goma Prayers and Fire-Walking to Purify Body and Mind

At the "Monthly Goma Prayer Festival", held on the 27th of every month except April, the impurities of those seeking prayers are burned away before the principal object of worship, while goma prayer sticks bearing their wishes are offered to the flames. At the annual grand festival in April, participants may also take part in a powerful fire-walking ritual. The powerful prayers through fire characteristic of Shugendo offer a chance to purify body and mind and renew one's spirit.

Shichi-go-san (Children’s Ceremony)
Miyamairi (Newborn Blessing)
Matchmaking
Cutting Ties
Financial Luck
Business Prosperity
Yakuyoke (Purification)
Health & Well-being
Safe Childbirth
Exam Success
Traffic Safety
Fertility
Performing Arts
Love Fulfillment
Bountiful Harvest
Family Safety
Academic Success
Recovery from Illness

Tracing the past

Origins & Heritage

Yamabushi Prayers Passed Down at Two Temples

"Daijoin Mihirobo Temple", a temple of the Daigo school of Shingon Buddhism, is said to have a history of about 1,300 years. It has long served as a place of prayer and training for yamabushi, and its grounds contain two temples, "Kanko-zan Daijoin" and "Ogasayama Shoryuji." In the early Edo period, it oversaw yamabushi from Mikawa Province to the Kanto region and had close ties with Tokugawa Ieyasu. "Ogasayama Shoryuji" is said to have protected against the unlucky northeast direction when a residence was built in Iwata, and descendants of a sago palm believed to have been planted by Ieyasu still remain on the grounds. The temple was temporarily abolished following the Meiji government's prohibition of Shugendo, but it was revived from the late Meiji to Taisho period and merged with "Daijoin" in 1942. Its two principal deities are Daishomen Kongo, associated with recovery from illness, and Mihirobo Daigongen, believed to overcome difficulties and guide worshippers toward the fulfillment of great wishes.

Temple buildings

A Mysterious Shrine Grounded on an Ancient Tomb

The Main Hall stands atop the Koshinzuka Kofun in Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture. Said to have a history extending back to the Nara period, the site has long attracted local devotion. In connection with the principal image, Daishomen Kongo, carvings of the Three Wise Monkeys, known for the saying "See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil", can also be seen. The Main Hall, built in the latter half of the Edo period, is distinguished by intricate wood carvings throughout. These include the twelve animals of the zodiac, the moon and sun, and ascending and descending dragons, expressing the complementary principles of yin and yang. Particularly distinctive is a carving of the zodiac rat seated on a daikon radish. Other points of interest include a garden developed as part of urban planning in 2006, the Six Jizo (Buddhist bodhisattva), Benten, and Inari. An old cherry tree on the grounds produces beautiful blossoms in spring, marking the changing seasons. The grounds offer an opportunity to encounter the worldviews of Esoteric Buddhism and Shugendo while appreciating the craftsmanship of the detailed carvings.

Prayer Services and Personal Guidance

Yamabushi Teachings and Prayers for Life's Troubles

This temple of yamabushi mountain ascetics supports people while maintaining traditions of rigorous religious training. Through services such as house-orientation assessments when building a home, personal fortune readings, divination, and name selection, it offers support for life's turning points and everyday concerns and is said to give people the strength to move forward. On the 27th of every month except April, the "Monthly Goma Prayer Festival" is held before the principal object of worship, with goma prayer sticks bearing people's wishes burned in the ritual fire. The ritual is said to burn away the petitioners' impurities and convey their wishes to the principal object of worship. A special kaji ritual using the goma fire is also performed to purify each person's body and mind. At the annual "Daijoin Mihirobo Temple Grand Festival", held on the third Sunday of April, prayers are offered for protection from misfortune, family safety, prosperity in business, recovery from illness, physical and mental well-being, and the fulfillment of many other wishes. A powerful fire-walking ritual, open to anyone, is also performed. Amid the resounding conch shells and Buddhist chanting, the powerful flames of this distinctive Shugendo prayer ritual offer a moment to renew one's spirit.

Daijoin Mihirobo Temple

大乗院三仭坊

Address

1-10-6 Nakaizumi, Iwata City, Shizuoka

Access

Car: 10 minutes from Iwata IC on the Tomei Expressway and Enshu-Toyoda PA Smart IC; Train: 5-minute walk from Iwata Station on the JR Tokaido Main Line

Website

https://mihirobo.or.jp/

TEL

+81-538-32-3454Please let the staff know that you saw this on "Tabiiro."

Social media

Business hours