Natadera那谷寺

The centre of the temple: a cliff of pale tuff pitted with caves and pinnacles, rising behind a lily pond. A visiting Ōbaku monk gave it its name in the Edo period. In autumn the red maples against the white rock are what the temple itself calls one of Hokuriku's best views of colour. The rock and its setting are a national Place of Scenic Beauty, listed among the landscapes of Oku no Hosomichi.

The monk Taichō founded the temple in 717, enshrining a thousand-armed Kannon in a cave on the mountain, as an outpost of the Hakusan faith; it was first called Iwaya-ji, the cave temple. The caves are treated as a mother's womb, and passing through the rock is a rebirth. In 989 the retired emperor Kazan is said to have renamed it Natadera, joining syllables from Nachi-san and Tanigumi-san, the first and last temples of the Saigoku pilgrimage.

In 1689 the poet Matsuo Bashō came here on his journey recorded in Oku no Hosomichi and wrote Ishiyama no / ishi yori shiroshi / aki no kaze: the autumn wind is whiter than the rocks of Ishiyama. The pale rock of Natadera is what he saw. A stone carved with the verse stands in the grounds.

After fires in the wars of the 1500s, Maeda Toshitsune, the third lord of Kaga, rebuilt the temple in 1640–42: the main hall, the Chinese-style gate, the worship hall, the three-storey pagoda, the bell tower and a garden. Seven buildings are Important Cultural Properties. The cedar-lined approach is also from his time. Moss grows thick under the trees.

The special viewing opens the Shoin (study hall) and Kuri (kitchen-house) garden, both nationally protected, with the three standing stones of the Ryūbi-en pond. It adds ¥200 and about 15 minutes, and closes when snow lies. The garden is attributed to the tea master Kobori Enshū's guidance.

The temple lists foliage for October and November. Usually colour peaks about the middle of November (our forecast is about 14 November). A light-up called NAKED Yozanpo ran on Friday to Sunday evenings and holidays from 3 to 26 October in 2025 (¥2,000 for adults); no 2026 dates had been found on 14 October. Other seasons: cherry blossom and rhododendron in April, hydrangeas in June, rope snow-supports in winter.