Yamadera Temple (Hojuzan Risshakuji Temple)

Yamadera Temple is the commonly-used name for Hojuzan Risshakuji Temple, a temple of the Tendai Buddhist sect in Yamagata Prefecture. The temple’s main building is a designated national treasure, and the beechwood building is said to be the oldest in Japan. There are 1,015 stone steps that one must climb to get up the mountain, and it is said that with each step one takes up the path, their worldly desires will fade away. This temple is also featured in the travel journal of Basho, a famous poet of the Edo period (1600-1867).