Aizu Sazaedo

Aizu Sazaedo is a 16.5-meter-tall, hexagonal, three-story wooden structure built in 1796 on Mount Iimori in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture. Its official name is Entsū Sansōdō, and it was designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1996. The temple was conceived by Ikudō, the chief priest of the Massho-ji temple that once stood on Mount Iimori, and it was created against the backdrop of the people’s faith in Kannon at the time.

Features of the Architecture
Its greatest feature is the extremely rare “double-helix structure,” which is also highly unusual on a global scale. There are no stairs inside; visitors move along a wooden sloped walkway that winds around the building. The ascent makes one and a half turns, and the descent also makes one and a half turns, for a total of three revolutions around the hall. This design allows worshippers to make a safe, one-way pilgrimage without crossing paths. Because this mechanism resembles the spiral shape of the turban shell, or “sazae,” it came to be known as “Sazaedo.”

Inside, diagonal windows are installed, allowing visitors to go up and down while feeling the incline, creating a mysterious and unusual sensation. There are several theories about the origin of this idea, including one that it was inspired by a concept from Leonardo da Vinci, and another that it came from a dream revelation received by the head priest.

Role in Faith and Pilgrimage
In the past, the sloped walkway was lined with thirty-three Kannon statues from the Saigoku pilgrimage, so visitors could complete a pilgrimage to the Thirty-Three Kannon simply by walking through the hall. During the Edo period, for ordinary people who found travel to distant sacred sites difficult, visiting this hall itself was a dreamlike experience and a highly practical place of worship. Numerous votive slips were affixed to the walls, indicating that many people visited at the time.

Later Changes
In the Meiji period, the thirty-three Kannon statues were removed due to the government’s separation of Shinto and Buddhism. Then, in 1890, statues of the spirits of the 19 Byakkotai soldiers were placed inside, and later, an illustrated plaque of the “Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars of the Imperial Court,” compiled by Matsudaira Katataka, lord of the Aizu domain, was displayed and has been preserved to the present day. Although the Kannon statues are no longer present, the building itself remains a powerful symbol of faith and culture.

Nearby Highlights
Aizu Sazaedo is located on the slope of Mount Iimori, known as the site of the Byakkotai’s suicide. Nearby is Ugajin-do, which houses the spirit statues of the 19 Byakkotai soldiers, making this an area where visitors can deeply appreciate Aizu’s history and culture.

Aizu Sazaedo is a unique wooden structure in the world, distinguished by its hexagonal, three-story, double-helix design, and it is a historic building that combines faith with practicality. Designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1996, its mysterious structure in which the ascent and descent never cross continues to fascinate visitors. Even today, many worshippers and tourists enjoy its strange and wondrous experience, making it one of Aizu’s most iconic attractions, with both historical value and cultural appeal.