Cultural Assets－Sutra Mounds

Sutra mound #15 is halfway up Mt. Iwawaki. At an elevation of 897 meters, Mt. Iwawaki is the second highest mountain in the Izumi Range. According to ancient maps and Shugendo training records, the sutra mound was at one of two locations—either to the northwest of the main hall of Iwawakiji Temple, or at a Shugendo training site to the south of the temple grounds. The sutra mound we see today is at the end of a ridge, a short climb northwest from Iwawakiji Temple. A gorinto (five-ringed pagoda) stands on a rocky cliff, like a silent observer.