# Hozan-ji

> A working temple of prayer halfway up Mount Ikoma, where people come to ask Kangiten, known locally as Shoten-san, for luck in business. Its halls sit right under the Hannya-kutsu, a sheer rock face where En no Gyoja is said to have trained. Ride the Ikoma Cable Car, opened in 1918, to Hozanji Station, then walk about 10 minutes up the stepped approach. Entry is free.

- Prefecture: Nara
- Type: Temple
- Address: Ikoma, Nara, Japan
- Official site: https://www.hozanji.com/

Hozan-ji is less a sightseeing temple than a place where people come to ask for something. Ikoma Shoten, as everyone calls it, is one of the main centres in Japan for the worship of Kangiten, a god people pray to for business luck, and his symbols are all over the grounds: a pair of crossed daikon radishes and a money pouch. The statue itself is a secret Buddha kept in a closed shrine, and visitors do not see it. What you do see are rows of candles and incense, and on the 1st and 16th of each month, crowds, with the most devoted arriving after midnight on the 1st.

The mountain was a place of ascetic training long before the present temple. Tradition says En no Gyoja placed sutras in the Hannya-kutsu, the great rock face that rises straight up behind the halls, and that cliff, with small shrines tucked into its ledges, is what makes the place worth the trip for me. The priest Tankai refounded the temple in 1678 and carved its main Fudo Myoo statue himself.

Getting here is half the fun. The Ikoma Cable Car starts at Toriimae, next to Kintetsu Ikoma Station; it opened in 1918 and is the oldest cable car line in Japan. Ride about 5 minutes to Hozanji Station, then walk roughly 10 minutes up the stepped approach through the old temple town. You can also skip the cable car and walk up the whole approach from the station. Either way there are a lot of stairs: more than 1,000 stone steps run from the foot of the approach to the Oku-no-in above the main halls.

Entry is free, and the temple is open from 8:00 to 16:30 (to 16:00 from October to March). The Shishikaku, a Western-style guest hall from 1884 with coloured glass windows and an Important Cultural Property, opens only a few days a year for 500 yen; in 2026 that was 3 to 5 May and 21 to 23 September. There is very little English. Come on a weekday morning if you want the rock face to yourself.

## FAQ

### Do I have to take the cable car to Hozan-ji?

No, but it saves a lot of stairs. The cable car from Toriimae next to Kintetsu Ikoma Station takes about 5 minutes to Hozanji Station, and from there it is about 10 minutes on foot. You can also walk the whole approach from Ikoma Station; it is steep and stepped most of the way.

### Can I see the Kangiten statue?

No. Hozan-ji's Kangiten is a secret Buddha kept inside a closed shrine in the Shoten hall and is not shown to visitors. You pray in front of the hall, and you can apply at the temple for prayer services.

### When is the Shishikaku open?

Only during short special openings, usually around holidays. In 2026 it opened on 3 to 5 May and 21 to 23 September, from 9:00 to 15:30 (last entry 15:00), for 500 yen with no booking. Check the temple or the Nara tourism site for any further dates.

### When is Hozan-ji most crowded?

On the 1st and 16th of each month, which are Kangiten's festival days, and at the New Year. On the 1st, worshippers start arriving after midnight. A weekday morning outside those dates is the quietest time.

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Source: Hozan-ji — Japan Voyage