The pagoda at Rurikoji in Yamaguchi has been rated one of Japan’s three most stunning five-storied pagodas alongside similar structures in Nara and Kyoto. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
Kozan Park, a popular tourist stop in Yamaguchi, the Kyoto of the West, is a welcome break from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, also in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan.
The air station is a bustling place full of uniformed service members and screaming fighter jets overhead.
At Kozan Park, tourists meander along paths beside a peaceful pond and take photographs of a five-story pagoda that’s nearly 600 years old.
The landmark, designated a national treasure, is rated one of Japan’s three most stunning five-storied pagodas alongside similar structures in Nara and Kyoto.
The pagoda, built in 1442 during the Muromachi period, was under renovation until December. Craftsmen installed new cedar-bark shingles on the structure, which is more than 100 feet tall.
Kyowa Construction division manager Atsuyuki Watanabe shows a roof shingle during restoration work on an ancient five-story pagoda at Kozan Park in Yamaguchi, Japan, Oct. 23, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
The roof restoration happens every 70 years, said Atsuyuki Watanabe, a construction manager overseeing the project, during my recent visit.
The workers use traditional materials during the restoration, Watanabe said, as he held up a wooden shingle beside the pagoda. They attached the shingles with wooden pins, rather than nails.
The pagoda was built by Ouchi Morimi, a feudal lord from the clan who ruled what is now Yamaguchi prefecture from the mid-14th century to the mid-16th century, according to the Japan Tourism Agency.
A bronze statue of Ouchi Hiroyo stands in Kozan Park in Yamaguchi, Japan, Oct. 23, 2025. The military leader founded a town, modeled on Kyoto, that became Yamaguchi. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
Inside the pagoda is a bronze statue of Ouchi Morimi’s older brother Yoshihiro, a powerful military commander, and a wooden statue of the Amida Buddha.
Kozan Park, near central Yamaguchi, includes statues of historical figures along with cherry blossoms, plum trees, azaleas and hydrangeas among manicured hedges.
The park is the site of Rurikoji, a Soto Zen temple that includes wooden buildings surrounded by nature. A park museum includes scale models of famous pagodas from around Japan, according to the Japan National Tourism organization.
Tourism specialist Matsui Kuniaki talks about the history of Kozan Park in Yamaguchi, Japan, Oct. 23, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
Kozan Park also features the burial site of members of the Mori family, who ruled the region during the Edo Period, from 1603 to 1867.
Also in the park stands Chinryutei, a tea house where Saigo Takamori, a historical figure who helped usher in the Meiji period, and his co-conspirators pretended to practice the tea ceremony while planning to overthrow the Edo Shogunate, according to the tourism agency.
“The move led to the Meiji Restoration and the end of Japan’s feudal age in 1868,” the agency states.
On the QT
Directions: Kozan Park is 1 ½ miles from Yamaguchi Station and can be reached on foot or by bicycle rented at the station (300 yen for two hours or 700 yen for a day).
Times: Always open.
Costs: Free admission.
Food: There are no restaurants in the park but a convenience store across the road sells ice cream and other treats.
