Japan Heritage story
Yamadera and the safflower culture of Yamagata
山寺が支えた紅花文化
In the Edo period, central Yamagata grew more safflower than anywhere in Japan, a red dye said to be worth ten times its weight in gold. The trade, closely tied to the mountain temple of Yamadera, brought wealth and Kyoto culture to the region.
Key facts
- Theme
- Sea and waterside, Forests and timber, Textiles and dyes, Food and sake
- Era
- Edo
- Region
- Tohoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 山寺が支えた紅花文化
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 山形県（山形市, 寒河江市, 天童市, 尾花沢市, 山辺町, 中山町, 河北町, 大石田町, 白鷹町）
The story
Yamadera, or Risshakuji, is said to have been founded by the monk Ennin in the Heian period. Its main hall keeps a lamp lit from Enryakuji on Mt Hiei that has burned for over a thousand years, and over a thousand stone steps climb through dense woods to halls among strange rocks. Safflower is said to have come to the area with Ennin or his successor, and temple villages were early growers.
The fertile soil of the Mogami River and its morning mists suited the thorny plant, and in the early Edo period Murayama produced 50 to 60% of Japan's safflower. Shipped to Kyoto and Osaka for silk dyeing and lipstick, it was said to be worth a hundred times rice and ten times gold. Matsuo Basho saw the fields on his way to Yamadera in 1689 and wrote haiku about them.
What to see
- Yamadera: the stone steps, rock-top halls and the undying lamp.Google Maps 山寺 立石寺 (opens in a new tab)
- Merchant storehouses: white-walled shop, guest and Buddhist-altar storehouses on one plot.
- Hina dolls: elegant Kyoto dolls bought by merchants, shown in homes and storehouses around Hina Matsuri.
- Bugaku dances: performed at Yachi Hachimangu and Jionji in sacred safflower-red costumes.
Plan your trip with the Yamagata prefecture guide and see more shrines and temples.
Good to know
- Wear good shoes for Yamadera: the climb is over a thousand stone steps.
- Visit around Hina Matsuri, when families open their storehouses to show their dolls.
- Look out for safflower fields, the scene Basho wrote about.
Questions travellers ask
Why was safflower so valuable?
It gave a precious red dye for silk and lipstick, said to be worth a hundred times rice and ten times gold.
How is Yamadera linked to safflower?
Safflower is said to have come to the area with the temple's founder, and temple villages were among the first to grow it.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.