Cultural Assets－Temples and Shrines

Tradition holds that in 943 the deity Fudo Myo-o took the form of an old man selling charcoal and taught the chief priest of the temple at the time, Joso, how to make white charcoal. A statue known as the Sumiyaki (“charcoal maker”) Fudoson is enshrined in the Sumiyaki Fudo-do in the temple’s precincts.
Takihata was known in the past for producing white charcoal, which was known as “Kotaki charcoal” and which was much prized for use in the tea ceremony. The people of Takihata, who made their living producing charcoal, revered the Sumiyaki Fudoson as a guardian deity and made offerings of charcoal and charcoal-making tools to symbolize their faith. Kotakiji Temple has deep connections to both Katsuragi Shugen and the livelihood of local residents, and it has long been the focus of belief for mountain ascetics and locals.