Phoenix Sister Cities

Did you know that Mount Shosha in Himeji is a mountain, a movie set, and a temple?

Mount Shosha is a holy mountain sacred to the god Susanoo-no-Mikoto, made from the soil of Vulture Peak in India by Shaka Nyorai according to Buddhist legend. In 966, a monk named Shoku founded a temple originally named Shosha-Ji, and was later renamed in 986 to Engyo-Ji by Emperor Kazan. In 1934, Engyo-Ji's precincts were designated as a National Historic Site and in 2003. Engyo-Ji has several other historical buildings, cemetaries, and six sub-temples, and has been an important pilgrimage destination for centuries.

The Mitsudono, the main temple, is split into three large buildings including the Daikodo (the main hall), the Jikido (the lodging and dining hall, now exhibiting temple treasures), and the Jogyodo (the gymnasium). Mount Shosha and Shosha Engyo-Ji have also been the filming grounds for several recent movies such as "The Last Samurai" (2003), the NHK Taiga drama "Musashi" (2003), "The Tale of Genji: A Thousand Year Mystery" (2011), "March Comes in Like a Lion" (2017), and several more. Mount Shosha is only 30 minutes away from Himeji City via bus and ropeway.