Japan Guide
Shikoku
Ishite-ji
Eight of the 88 temples on Shikoku's sacred circuit are in Matsuyama, but the most famous is the 51st, Ishite-ji. Ishite-ji is one of the most unusual temples you're likely to visit. Unlike Shikoku's other 87 temples, Ishite-ji has used its accumulated wealth to branch out into surreal forms of religious expression. Tucked away behind the main temple buildings are dimly lit tunnels lined with hundreds of Buddhas and other icons. Condensation drips heavily from the tunnel ceiling if it's been raining, adding to the slightly foreboding atmosphere. Further on, in the tunnel which heads upwards, flashing fairy and strobe lights, activated as you approach, and the piped sound of a priest wailing mantras, create the impression that you've stumbled into an esoteric rave.
The main tunnel emerges from behind a rock on the hill above the temple, close to the entrance to a park containing more bizarre statues – and plenty of wild cats – at the centre of which is a squat, golden-domed 3-D mandala. Enter this circular hall and you'll be confronted by a two-hundred-strong congregation of wooden jizō, between 1m and 3m high, carved with Buddhist sexual symbols, and arranged in tiered circles. Oddly, while the main temple is usually heaving with pilgrims, very few bother to head up to the park, making it a nice place to relax for a few minutes and take in your unusual surroundings. Climbing up the slope from the mandala will lead to a large graveyard and, on the summit of the adjoining hill, the looming statue of Buddhist saint Kōbō Daishi, founder of Shikoku's pilgrim trail.
Next to all this, the temple's classical Kamakura-era architecture, which includes a three-storey pagoda, seems almost mundane. Behind the main gate, Niō-mon, built in 1318, are two giant straw sandals, along with many normal-sized ones, left by pilgrims who hope to have their feet and leg ailments cured. There's also a drab museum (¥300) on the east side of the complex, where the temple's treasures are rather poorly presented.Address: Fifteen minutes east of the Dōgo tram terminus