Yama-dera, is the popular name for the Buddhist temple of Risshaku-ji located northeast of Yamagata City, in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Its main image is a hibutsu statue of Yakushi Nyorai. The temple has been a place for pilgrimage for centuries, and is designated as both a Place of Scenic Beauty and as a National Historic Site It is located within the …Yama-dera, is the popular name for the Buddhist temple of Risshaku-ji located northeast of Yamagata City, in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. Its main image is a hibutsu statue of Yakushi Nyorai. The temple has been a place for pilgrimage for centuries, and is designated as both a Place of Scenic Beauty and as a National Historic Site It is located within the borders of the Zaō Quasi-National Park. The temple buildings clinging to the steep, forested, rocky hillsides are picturesque and unusual.