Cultural Assets－Temples and Shrines

Located in Kono at the foot of Nanakoshi-toge Pass, the temple enshrines statues of the buddha Amida Nyorai and the monk Kukai. The Benten-do, which is located behind the main hall, houses images of the deities Benzaiten, Juroku Doji, Bishamonten, and Daikokuten. These statues are shown to the public as part of a ritual every March. The Katsurei-zakki (a guidebook on Katsuragi Shugen published in 1850) notes that the temple included “a stone where En no Gyoja placed his backpack (Oitate-ishi Stone), a stone on which he sat (Koshikake-ishi Stone), and Tsubo-no-i (a well).” Two large stones remaining in the southern part of the precincts are thought to be Oitate-ishi and Koshikake-ishi. On the 1,150th anniversary of En no Gyoja’s death in 1849, the noble Shogoin no Miya stopped at the temple on his return trip and was given lunch by the villagers.