Iiyama Kannon, Buddhist pilgrimage temple in Atsugi, Japan.
Iiyama Kannon is a Buddhist temple in Atsugi, in Kanagawa Prefecture, whose main hall houses a bronze statue of Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu dating from the Edo period. The temple sits on the slopes of Mount Haku and is surrounded by forest, giving it a secluded setting away from the city.
The temple is believed to have been founded sometime in the 8th or early 9th century, with some sources linking it to the monk Gyoki and others to Kukai. Both figures played a central role in spreading Buddhism across Japan during that era.
Iiyama Kannon is the sixth station of the Bando Sanjusankasho, a pilgrimage route that links 33 temples across the Kanto region. Visitors walking the route stop here to receive a stamp in their pilgrimage booklet, a practice that remains very much alive today.
The temple can be reached by bus from Hon Atsugi Station on the Odakyu Odawara Line. The grounds are open year-round, and a morning visit tends to be the quietest time to explore them.
The temple grounds connect directly to Iiyama Hakusan Shinrin Park, where a viewpoint on Mount Haku offers a view of Yokohama and the Shinjuku skyline on a clear day. Few visitors expect to see one of the world's largest cities from a woodland hilltop next to a pilgrimage site.
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