Cultural Assets－Temples and Shrines

Said to have been founded by En no Gyoja, Omine-ji Temple is recorded as a sacred Shugen training site in the Shozan-engi, an account of the history of ascetic practices in the Kinki region that is believed to have been compiled during the Kamakura Period (late 12th century). In addition to the Gyoja-do, its precincts include a 13-tiered pagoda believed to be the tomb of En no Gyoja’s mother. The grounds are also dotted with stone structures, including a hokyointo pagoda made of crystalline-schist and bearing an inscription dating to 1379, which has been designated a Cultural Property by Wakayama Prefecture. Every March, sacred pieces of wood are burned as an offering during a Saito Daigoma ritual, and a statue of the Bato (“horse-headed”) Kannon bodhisattva, which is rarely shown to the public, is made available for viewing.