Guide to Japan's sacred mountain, Mt. Oiwa

Topography of Mt. Oiwa

Mt. Oiwa is a sacred mountain located at the northern tip of the Kanto Plain, north of the center of Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture.

• Elevation：417m
• Mountaintop position：
  • 362219N1392617E
  • Latitude: 36 degrees 22 minutes 19 seconds. North longitude: 139 degrees 26 minutes 17 seconds east longitude

Gyoki Bodhisattva, the founder of the temple, wishing to save the Kanto region through Buddhism, founded Tamonin Saishoji Temple on Mount Oiwa, which commands a panoramic view of the Kanto Plain, and enshrined a statue of Bishamonten (the god of war) created by Prince Shotoku.

As its name suggests, Mt. Oiwa has many huge and strangely shaped rocks within the mountain. This steep mountain became the object of mountain worship and is said to have prospered as a major training ground for Shugendo. It is believed that Shugendo monks stayed in the twelve temples that were built in various parts of the mountain to practice their training, and although these temples no longer exist, the figures of Shugendo monks can still be seen on the mountain today.

At Oiwasan Bishamonten, Sanno-gongen, Daikokuten, and Inarijinja Shrine are enshrined on the west side of the main temple. Sanno-gongen is mentioned in the Saishoji temple's Engi, but the origin of the other shrines is unknown.
Today, Oiwasan Bishamonten is a temple of the Shingonshu-sect of Buddhism, and the fact that Sanno-gongen is enshrined indicates that it was closely related to the Tendaishu-sect of Buddhism, Shintoism, and mountain worship.

Guide to the precincts of Oiwasan Bishamonten

Much of Mt. Oiwa is designated as a Tochigi Prefectural Natural Park, and a wide variety of plants can be found here. In particular, the mountain forest on the west side of the main hall is registered as an important cultural property of Ashikaga City as a natural monument for its native warm-season vegetation. This warm-temperate forest is located at the northern limit of warm-temperate plants in Japan, and includes tall firs and Japanese white oaks, shrubs and sub-trees such as camellia, Japanese white ash, Japanese spirea, Japanese honeysuckle, fuezanshoki, and maruba utsuki, as well as ferns and yabukouji on the forest floor. In addition, trees such as hakuunboku and mukuroji (planted), which are rare in the city, can also be seen.

Mt. Oiwa can be reached near the summit by automobile. There are two parks near the summit, West Park and East Park. West Park has parking space, wooden benches and tables, and public restrooms. The view from the west park is exceptional, offering a panoramic view of the Kanto Plain. There is also an approach leading to the precincts of Oiwasan Bishamonten, passing through an area of native warm-season vegetation.

VR tour of Oiwasan west park

Further in from the West Park, you will reach the East Park. There are a few benches, but not much space for parking. The park is a route for hiking trails from Orihimejinja-Shrine and Mt. Ryogai, and there are trailheads to the top of Mt. Oiwa, Mt. Gyodo, and Jochinji-Temple. From East Park, you can see the northern Tochigi Prefecture and the mountains of Tohoku. The sunrise ceremony is also held at East Park.

VR tour of Oiwasan east park

Because Mt. Oiwa is located at the northern boundary of the Kanto Plain, a panoramic view of the Kanto Plain can be seen from the trail and West Park. On clear days, the Tokyo Sky Tree, Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, and other skyscrapers in Tokyo can be seen. In addition, you can see Mt. Tsukuba, the famous peak of the Kanto Plain, to the east, and to the south you can see the Tanzawa Mountains of Kanagawa Prefecture, the Chichibu Mountains that extend to Saitama Prefecture, Tokyo, and other areas, and Mt. Fuji further back.
From East Park, you can see the Ashio Mountains and Yamizo Mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, as well as the Nasu Mountain Range that stretches from Tochigi Prefecture to Fukushima Prefecture in the distance.

From Oiwasan West Park, you can enjoy the night view of the Kanto region centered on Tokyo, including Ashikaga City.

VR tour of Oiwasan West Park

This is a video of the sunrise on New Year's Day, January 1, 2019 (Hatsuhinode Yohai Ceremony) at Mt. Oiwa in Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, a sacred mountain in the Kanto region. Oiwasan Bishamonten holds the "Hatsuhinode Yohai Ceremony (New Year's Day Sunrise Worship Ceremony)" around 6:50 a.m. on January 1 every year. You are free to participate.

Photo animation of sunrise, the morning sun and Mt. Fuji, the morning sun and Mt. Oiwa

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This is the view of sunrise and the morning sun at sunrise time (6:40-6:50) at the end of December from Mt. Oiwa. At this time of the year, the sun rises from the right of Mt. Tsukuba (Ibaraki Prefectures) . In addition, you can see Mt. Fuji (Shizuoka and Yamanashi Prefectures) in the direction of Ashikaga City.

Slide show of the sea of clouds over the Kanto Plain as seen from Mt. Oiwa, a sacred mountain in the Kanto region

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This is a sea of clouds widely visible over the Kanto Plain taken on March 15, 2020, shortly after 6:00 a.m. The image was taken on a day when a thick fog warning was issued in Ashikaga City.

It was taken on a day when a fog warning was issued in Ashikaga City.

(Photographed by Takeshi Kodama, 55, self-employed, Omata Minamimachi, Ashikaga City.

Mt. Oiwa is connected to Mt. Gyodo, Mt. Ryogai, and Mt. Tengu in Ashikaga City by a mountain trail, and is visited by many mountaineers who enjoy hiking. Ashikaga City's hiking trails include "Hiking course overlooking the historic town" that runs from Ashikaga Orihimejinja-Shrine, passes through Mt. Ryogai, reaches Mt. Oiwa, and then exits to Mt. Gyodo.

Guide to Mt. Oiwa hiking trails

• Click on the image above to see the scenery starting from the sky above Mt. Oiwa.
• Clicking on the link displayed above the spherical panoramic photo will take you to spherical panoramic photos of the sky and the ground of the mountain path of Mt. Oiwa, the precinct of Saishoji-temple and Oiwasan-Bishamonten , and tourist spots scattered around Ashikaga City.
• By operating the buttons located at the top of the screen, you can rotate left/right/up/down, enlarge/reduce the screen, switch VR mode, display full screen, etc.
• VR mode provides a three-dimensional experience when viewed with VR goggles.
• The map display at the top left of the screen can be enlarged or reduced, and the map can be switched, allowing you to check the registered spherical panoramic photo location, viewing direction, and visible range.

This is a video guide to Mt. Oiwa in Ashikaga City, Tochigi Prefecture, which is a sacred mountain in the Kanto region. You can see an aerial video which guides you from the Sanmon-gate to Kenga-mine(the Summit) via Otokozaka that is an approach of Oiwasan-Bishamonten and the main temple of Bishamonten. This video also include all-around view from above Mt. Oiwa at the end.