The Reikado Hall fire on Mt Misen

What happened to Reikado Hall on Mt Misen?

A fire reported around 8:30 a.m. on 20 May 2026 destroyed the hall completely and spread into the woods around it. It was declared out the next day.

Nikkei reported the alarm at about 8:30 on a Wednesday morning. Eight fire engines and helicopters were sent, according to Get Hiroshima, and firefighters had the blaze under control in about two hours. The building could not be saved. A small hut nearby and trees on the slope burned too. The ropeway stopped and the trails were closed while crews worked.

The cause is still unknown. A month later the Chugoku Shimbun wrote that there was no evidence of arson. It is the second time in twenty years: the hall burned in 2005 and was rebuilt in 2006, and the charred pillars of the old one were kept inside the new building.

Was the eternal flame of Mt Misen saved?

Yes. The temple kept the flame alive in another place, and in October 2026 it was carried back up to where the hall stood.

Daisho-in told reporters that the "Eternal Flame" was safe because the monks had it elsewhere. That matters beyond the island. The Misen flame is one of the sources of the Flame of Peace in Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park, so the loss would have reached the city too.

On 20 October 2026, about a hundred people, many of them hikers, joined a prayer ceremony at the site for the safety of the rebuilding work, reported by NHK. Hiroshima TV said the flame was brought to the site of the burned hall the same day. A temporary arrangement, then, until there is a roof over it again.

Will Reikado Hall be rebuilt?

Yes, on the same spot. The bill is about 280 million yen, three times the 2006 cost, and the temple is crowdfunding roughly 40 percent of it.

The Mainichi Shimbun reported a total of about 280 million yen, with construction from around April 2027 and completion aimed at that autumn; the Chugoku Shimbun gave a target of November 2027. The new hall will be built to burn less easily: plastered walls, and sprinklers, security cameras and a lightning rod under consideration.

The crowdfunding opened on 20 October 2026 and runs to 5 January 2027, according to Home TV. Reported targets range from 112 to 122 million yen. Materials and labour cost about three times what they did in 2006, which is why the temple is asking for help.

Can you still visit the summit of Mt Misen?

Yes. The summit, its observation deck, the trails and the ropeway are all in use. You will pass the site of the hall instead of the hall itself.

The ropeway runs from Momijidani Park via Kayatani to Shishiiwa station, 9:00 to 16:00, for 2,000 yen return or 1,100 yen one way (adults), and its gondolas were renewed in March 2026. From Shishiiwa it is about 30 minutes on foot to the top, on steps and rock. Japan-guide notes the main hall of Misen and the other temple buildings sit about five minutes below the peak, and that the Reikado will be rebuilt.

Expect a construction site there from 2027. For now it is a cleared patch with the flame and a place to pray. The rest of the walk, the giant boulders and the view over the Inland Sea, is what most people climb for anyway. Full details are in our Mt Misen ropeway and hiking guide.

Should you hike or take the ropeway up Mt Misen now?

Hike up and ride down if your legs are fine; ride both ways if you are short on time. The fire changed neither option.

Three trails reach the summit. Momijidani is the shortest and steepest, Daisho-in the gentlest and prettiest, Omoto the quietest. Many walkers go up on foot and take the ropeway back. Mind the last descent at about 16:30 and the wind: the ropeway stops in storms and for maintenance, usually around February and July.

Guided groups rarely include the mountain. Private guides do. A guest on the private half day wrote in November 2024: "She took us up Mount Misen, which was quite a hike but well worth it at the top!" The 4-hour private tour lists the Shishiiwa viewpoint.

Frequently asked questions