Heisenji Hakusan Shrine

Heisenji Hakusan Shrine (平泉寺白山神社, Heisenji Hakusan Jinja) is an important Shinto shrine located at the forested base of Mount Hakusan in Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture, and known for its mossy surroundings and serene atmosphere.

Founded in 717 as a Buddhist temple, it served as a base for pilgrimages to Mount Hakusan, the sacred mountain it is devoted to. By the 1500s, it had grown into a huge and politically powerful temple complex with thousands of monks and warrior monks living within its grounds.

After being burnt down and rebuilt multiple times, the complex was ultimately destroyed following uprisings in 1574 and never regained its former status. When Buddhism was forcefully separated from Shinto during the Meiji Period (1868-1912), the remaining complex, which consisted of both Buddhist and Shinto buildings, was turned into a Shinto shrine, which it remains today, albeit integrating the former temple's name, Heisenji, into its name.

Heisenji Hakusan Shrine's main grounds are very spacious, serene and unmanned. From the entrance, a path of around 600 meters leads slightly uphill through mossy spaces lined with tall cedar trees, passing several torii gates and a pond on its way to the prayer hall. Immediately behind the prayer hall stands the main hall, flanked by two smaller buildings in an arrangement to represent Mount Hakusan's three peaks.

From this point, visitors can choose to walk a further 400 meters into the forest to a small inner shrine called the Sannomiya, which also marks the beginning of the traditional pilgrimage trail leading to the summit of Mount Hakusan.

Adjacent to the south of the forested shrine grounds, visitors can explore some of the overgrown ruins that remain from the complex from when it was even larger than today. The area has a pleasant rural feel, but not too many remains can be seen.