Regional Focus: Niihama

Ikku Shrine is a large Shintō shrine in central Niihama. Although it’s located in the centre of the city adjacent to the government office district and along the main road, it has a quiet, verdant atmosphere. The shrine has a very long approach lined with camphor trees. This approach is today divided by a road, which passes in front of the entrance gate. This gate, called the Zuijinmon, is of rather unusual construction. It houses two guardian archers.

Within the gate is a large sandy compound with numerous separate shrines dotted around it. In the middle of the compound is a huge camphor tree, designated as a national natural monument. During the Niihama Taikodai Festival, the taikodai juggernauts gather here.

The current main shrine was built in 1705, the hall of worship in 1897, and the hall of offerings after World War II. The hall of worship was rebuilt in 2017.

Jigen-ji is a temple of the Sōtō Zen Buddhism sect in Niihama, known for its beautiful, mossy garden, which is particularly dramatic in the early spring and late autumn. Its large buildings are filled with wood carving, sculpture, and painted images. The temple was granted use of the imperial chrysanthemum crest.

The temple is closely associated with the local Kaneko clan, who controlled the area for several centuries. They built a residence at the site where Jigen-ji Temple currently stands, as well as a castle on the mountaintop, and a family temple, which was the predecessor of Jigen-ji Temple, at the northern foot of the mountain. The graves of the Kaneko clan can still be seen at the temple.

Zuiō-ji is a Buddhist monastery located at the foot of the Shikoku Mountains belonging to the Sōtō Zen Buddhist sect. The temple was first built in 1448 and the current structures date from the mid-1800s. In winter, trainee monks from the temple go into the city begging for alms. Zuiō-ji is known for the beauty of its autumn foliage.

The approach passes through a wood lined with old gravestones and a large mossy plaza planted with cherry trees. Stone steps lead up to a massive main gate and a two-storied bell and drum gate. Corridors lead away to the right and left. Inside the temple compound of raked gravel are the main monastery buildings, a pond, and an ancient gingko tree planted 800 years ago. The temple houses a magnificent, ancient rotating cabinet for sutras.

On the hill behind the temple is a branch shrine of Konpira Shrine.