Yashima-ji Temple is an ancient temple said to have been founded by Ganjin. It is said that Kukai later moved it to its current location and carved the principal image of the temple into it, making it a famous site on the Shikoku Pilgrimage. Located at the southern end of a plateau overlooking the legendary site of the Battle of Yashima (1185), a fierce battle between the Taira and Genji clans, the temple grounds are home to a main hall and other cultural assets that evoke the Kamakura period. With the clear mountaintop sky and sea as a backdrop, the temple offers the opportunity to enjoy both pilgrimage and historical strolls.

The main hall of Yashima-ji Temple dates back to the Kamakura period and is designated as an Important Cultural Property. The principal image, an Eleven-Faced Thousand-Armed Kannon Bodhisattva, is also designated as a National Treasure.

To see cultural assets, visit the Treasure Museum. On display are the temple bell (a National Important Cultural Property) cast in 1223 in Kamakura, documents related to the Genpei Jōsuiki (Record of the Rise and Fall of the Genpei War), and the "Genji White Flag." From the hall's corridor, you can also see the "Snow Garden," where exposed white tuff creates a snowy landscape, and the "Ruriho Pond (Blood Pond)," a pond said to be associated with Kukai. Next to the main hall is the shrine to Minoyama Daimyojin (Taizaburo Tanuki), worshipped as the leader of the Shikoku tanuki. The temple is bustling with people praying for family safety and love.

[Trivia]
Yashima Temple is also known as the site of the Genpei War. It is said that during the Battle of Yashima, Nasu no Yoichi of the Minamoto clan shot down a fan target belonging to the Taira clan.