Enzoji Temple

What to know

Enzoji Temple (圓蔵寺, Enzōji) is a Buddhist temple in the small town of Yanaizu, about a one-hour train ride from Aizu Wakamatsu. With a history spanning 1200 years, it is one of Japan's three main temples dedicated to Kokuzo Bosatsu, a bodhisattva whose wisdom is said to be as vast as the universe.

The hillside temple's main hall resembles Kiyomizudera in Kyoto with its large balcony. While Enzoji's balcony was originally wooden, it was replaced with concrete after the war. The rest of the hall remains wooden and dates from the Edo Period.

The traditional approach begins at the bottom of the hill, requiring visitors to climb about a hundred steps to the main hall. A less strenuous option is to drive to the upper parking lot and walk a few steps down. The temple grounds are among the largest in Fukushima Prefecture, featuring numerous other buildings and monuments.

Enzoji Temple is also the birthplace of akabeko, the popular red cow sold as a papier-mâché toy throughout the Aizu region. Legend says a mythical red bull helped build Enzoji's original structures by hauling heavy materials up the hill. Two bull statues stand near the main hall: an original stone one and a newer metal one. Many visitors rub the spots on the bull where they wish for improvement, leaving those areas exceptionally smooth or worn.

Despite its origins at Enzoji, akabeko figures are mainly produced in neighboring Aizu Wakamatsu rather than Yanaizu. This is because the decorative bulls were originally gifts from the local lord to the shogun and other dignitaries. The toy's bobbing head is a post-feudal invention that quickly surpassed the stiff akabeko in popularity.

Enzoji Temple is a ten-minute walk from Aizu-Yanaizu Station. From Aizu-Wakamatsu, Aizu-Yanaizu Station is about a one-hour train ride on the infrequent JR Tadami Line (720 yen one way).