A series of steep stone staircases, lined with colourful moss and thousand-year-old cedar trees, leads to the temple. After passing beneath the thick sacred rope made out of rice straw (shimenawa), you enter the treasure room of the shrine, notable for its seven Zao Gongen Buddha statues. The edifice is steeped in the sweet scent of sacred rhododendron incense. This rite is the first step in the purification ritual the faithful must complete before attempting the climb to Nageiredo temple.