Bandai Town, Yama District, Fukushima Prefecture. The historic site is located in the gentle rural area at the southern foot of Mount Bandai.
The grounds where the main hall and the middle gate have been quietly restored. Once you step in, there is a heavy presence of deep time that feels too significant to simply be called the ruins of a temple.
This is Enichiji. It is said to be the oldest temple in Tohoku with a clearly established founder.
In the early Heian period, it was founded by a monk who abandoned the capital of Nara and walked all the way to Tohoku. His name was Tokuitsu Bosatsu.
Why did he leave the flourishing capital and choose this land of all places?
A high priest who left the capital
Tokuitsu was a high priest who studied at the Nanto Hossō Sect in Nara. The Hossō Sect was one of the centers of Japanese Buddhism at the time, with Kōfuku-ji and Yakushi-ji in Heijō-kyō as its main temples. Ideally, a monk would stay in the capital and pray for the nobility and the court as a path to success.
However, Tokuitsu did not walk that path. At a young age in his twenties, he left the capital and headed far east to Tohoku via Kanto.
At that time, Tohoku was seen as 'Oshu' by the people of the capital—a remote area where Buddhist culture had not yet fully reached. It is said that Tokuitsu walked along unpaved paths, observing the lives of the people, and eventually reached Aizu.
Why Aizu?
There is a long-standing local answer to why Tokuitsu chose Aizu.
It is the 'great power of nature'—the presence of Mount Bandai.
Mount Bandai stands majestically to the northeast of the Aizu Basin. It has long been revered by the local people as the 'sacred mountain.' Abundant spring water flows at its foot, nourishing the fields and supporting the lives of the people. The mountain itself was the center of life and prayer.
It seems that Tokuitsu sought to merge the mountain worship that was already rooted here with the teachings of the Buddha that he had learned. Rather than denying the local faith and bringing in Buddhism, he respected the local beliefs and layered the teachings of Buddhism upon them.
Perhaps he aimed to save the people in this way.
A temple opened at the foot of Mount Bandai.
Thus, in the early Heian period, the Eijiji Temple was established by Tokui.
With Mount Bandai at its back, the temple complex stood facing south. The main hall, the middle gate, the lecture hall, and the monk's quarters. It is said that at its peak, as many as 3,000 monks studied here. It was a place where people gathered as a center of faith and learning not only from Aizu but from all over the Tohoku region.
In this land, far from the capital, one of the most brilliant Buddhist cultures in Japan was being built at that time. This was due to the strong determination of a single monk, Tokui, who said, "Even if I abandon the capital, I will save the people here."
Over 1,200 years of time
After that, the Eijiji Temple gradually declined with the flow of time, and the temple complex was lost.
However, the memory of the temple continues to remain in the land.
In 1970, the ruins of Eijiji Temple were designated as a national historic site. Excavation surveys revealed that the remains of the former temple complex were sleeping underground.
Then, in 2008, the main hall and middle gate were restored to their former appearance. Furthermore, since the summer of 2018, the seated statue of Yakushi Nyorai housed in the main hall has been open to the public.
Over 1,200 years of time, the contours of the scenery seen by Tokui are now reappearing.
Walking after knowing, Eijiji Temple
When we guide visitors at Eijiji Temple, we have them first view Mount Bandai from a slightly distant location before entering the temple grounds. The mountain and the Buddha are connected by a single axis of prayer, which is conveyed through the body without the use of words. By simply changing the order, the same historic site appears with a completely different depth.
Standing in front of the main hall and looking back towards Mount Bandai, the meaning becomes clear.
The main hall is arranged to worship Mount Bandai. The mountain and the Buddha are connected by a single axis of prayer. This is a place where you can feel the reason Tokui chose this location, not through words, but through your position and the atmosphere.
If you visit without knowing anything, it may just seem like a "beautifully maintained temple ruin."
However, when you walk after learning about the choice of the high priest who abandoned the capital, the same scenery looks completely different. The overlapping wisdom of the fusion of mountain worship and Buddhism from 1,200 years ago rises up from even a single stone at your feet.
I think that travel is ultimately about that. It's not about where you travel, but how much you know and walk.
If you visit Kichijiji
The ruins of Kichijiji are located in Honjiji, Bandai Town, Yamagata District, Fukushima Prefecture. It's about a 20-minute walk or a 5-minute drive from JR Ban'etsu West Line, Bandai Town Station. It's conveniently located along the way from Lake Inawashiro to Aizu Wakamatsu.
Bandai Town Kichijiji Museum
The museum located within the precincts has exhibits showcasing artifacts unearthed from excavations and the history of Tokui and Kichijiji. Stopping by before your visit will greatly change your perception when you see the main hall.
General public viewing period for the statue of Yakushi Nyorai inside the main hall
The statue of Yakushi Nyorai is open to the public in summer. The public viewing period varies each year, so please check the official information from Bandai Town. The moment you face it inside the hall carries a tranquility that cannot be conveyed through photos.
Places you might want to visit together
- Mount Bandai ── The "sacred mountain" at the root of the story of Kichijiji. Just driving around the base, you can feel the mountain's shape that Tokui might have seen.
- Aizu Wakamatsu - Tsuruga Castle ── About a 30-minute drive from Kichijiji. The center of Aizu.
- Urabandai - Around Lake Hibara ── A group of lakes formed by the eruption of Mount Bandai in 1888. After visiting Kichijiji, it's the perfect place to see "another face" of Mount Bandai.
A journey to encounter stories, would you like to join?
At Tabinoito, guide Catherine, who has lived in Urabandai and Aizu for half a century, shares stories of the land not found in guidebooks, offering personalized tours limited to one group per day.
For those who want to carefully trace the story of Kichijiji and Tokui, or those who want to explore the faith history of Mount Bandai and Aizu all at once, we will adjust the pace according to your preferences for the day. You can leave all long-distance driving and arrangements to us.
"I want to know history more deeply" or "I want to take my time exploring as a couple" ── Whatever your request, feel free to reach out. Just consulting is also OK, and we will not pressure you with persistent solicitation.
👉 Free consultation on LINE:
https://page.line.me/tabinoito
👉 View travel plans for senior couples:
https://tabinoito.com/senior/
👉 View travel plans for filial piety:
https://tabinoito.com/oyakouko/
Related articles: The village submerged at the bottom of the lake ── Memories of Hibara Village erased by the 1888 eruption of Mount Bandai
Reference materials
- Historical Site of Eijiji Temple (Bandai Town Official)
- Eijiji Temple Ruins (Fukushima Travel - Fukushima Prefectural Tourism and Product Exchange Association)
- Eijiji Temple (Wikipedia)
- Tokuichi (Wikipedia)
- Bandai Town Eijiji Museum on-site exhibition and interviews
- On-site coverage (Visit and interviews by Tabinoito guide, Catherine)
Author of this article
Catherine ── A guide living in Fukushima Prefecture, Urabandai, and Aizu for half a century. Founder of the private tour company 'Tabinoito'. With over 30 years of guiding experience, she is deeply knowledgeable about the local nature, history, and cultural beliefs. Guiding one group per day, she shares stories of the land that are not found in guidebooks while showing visitors around Urabandai and Aizu.
