Kozenji Temple

Kozenji Temple is said to have been founded by the Buddhist monk Honjo Shonin in 860. This special head temple of the Tendai sect has long attracted worshippers as one of southern Nagano’s leading places of prayer.

The approximately 6.7-hectare temple grounds—including the pond garden in front of the main hall, the hill-and-pond garden behind the temple residence and reception hall, the approach from the Niomon Gate, and the surrounding cedar grove—are nationally designated as the Kozenji Temple Garden, a Place of Scenic Beauty. The tranquil mountain temple itself is recognized as one vast garden. It has three distinct gardens: the pond garden in front of the main hall, the west garden of the temple residence, which makes use of the natural slope, and the dry landscape-style south garden of the temple residence.

The temple is also known for its naturally growing luminous moss, which can be found between the stones in the walls along the approach and beneath the veranda behind the reception hall. Its mysterious glow, created by reflected light, can usually be seen only from mid-April to early November.
The weeping cherry blossoms in spring and colorful foliage in fall are also impressive. The grounds are illuminated from mid-April to early May, when the cherry trees are in bloom, and from late October to early November, when the maple leaves turn red and yellow.