Cultural Assets－Temples and Shrines

Horikoshi Shaku-kannon Temple stands quietly in the mountains and is one of the training sites of Katsuragi Shugen. The temple’s principal object of worship, the statue of Juichimen (“11-faced”) Kannon Bosatsu is said to have been carved by En no Gyoja in the itto-sanrai manner, meaning each stroke with a chisel was followed by three prayers, as he prayed for his mother’s recovery from a painful internal disease. Though the Kannon statue is rarely shown to the public, worshipers continue to come from afar to visit the temple and its Kannon (a deity of mercy), which is said to work miracles in curing such conditions.
A statue of the renowned monk Kukai stands facing the main hall. A statue of En no Gyoja is housed in the Kannon-do Temple, located nearby. A sasanqua tree on the grounds, estimated to be 500 to 600 years old has been designated a Natural Monument by Wakayama Prefecture.