S P O T ／ SPOT-297
Hotsumisakiji (Cape Muroto)
最御崎寺（室戸岬）ほつみさきじ
On the tip of Cape Muroto, where the land thrusts into the Pacific, sits the 24th temple of the Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage, perched on a plateau wrapped in subtropical evergreen forest. Tradition says Kobo Daishi (Kukai) founded it in 807 on the very spot where he completed the demanding Kokuzo Gumonji meditation, carving the temple's hidden principal image. It marks the gateway to the Tosa 'training ground' of the pilgrimage. The site's strangest feature lies at the foot of the cape: Mikurodo, a sea cave where the young Kukai is said to have secluded himself in practice. Because the only view from inside was sky (ku) and sea (kai), legend holds he took the very name 'Kukai' from what he saw. Cape Muroto is also a UNESCO Global Geopark of uplifted coastline and raw reefs, so faith and geology fuse here into a singular sacred landscape.
H I G H L I G H T S
Highlights
- 01Mikurodo, the sea cave where, with only sky and sea visible from within, the name 'Kukai' is said to have been born
- 02The 24th Shikoku temple, set on a plateau cloaked in subtropical evergreen forest at the very tip of Cape Muroto
- 03A hidden-Buddha principal image (Kokuzo Bosatsu) and a sacred training ground where Kobo Daishi attained the Gumonji practice
- 04The core of the Muroto UNESCO Global Geopark, with its uplifted coast and rugged reefs
A C C E S S ／ M E T A
Essentials
- Location
- Kochi Prefecture Muroto City
- Address
- 高知県室戸市室戸岬町4058-1
- Fee
- 境内拝観無料（宝物殿は別途有料）
- Hours
- 境内自由（納経・授与所はおおむね7:00〜17:00）
- Status
- 現存
- Nearest
- 土佐くろしお鉄道ごめん・なはり線「奈半利駅」（最寄り鉄道駅・約60分バス）
- Walk
- 0 min
- Parking
- あり・無料（最御崎寺駐車場／室戸岬の各駐車場）
- Time
- 1〜2時間