Cultural Assets－Temples and Shrines

Located to the north of Taima-dera Temple, Takao-ji Temple is said to have been built by En no Gyoja during the latter half of the 7th century. According to lore, rituals were performed at the temple on behalf of Emperor Gotoba and Emperor Goshirakawa (12th century). At its prosperous peak, the temple was known as the “thousand roofs of Takao.” Most structures were lost to a large fire, and today only the foundation stone and repository remain. The temple’s repository holds a wooden standing statue of the Sho Kannon bodhisattva and a wooden seated statue of Yakushi Nyorai (the Medicine Buddha), both of which have been designated Important Cultural Properties. The Sho Kannon statue dates to the Heian Period (794 to 1185), while the Yakushi Nyorai dates to the Fujiwara era (middle to late Heian Period). The repository also houses a statue of En no Gyoja, which was created in the early Muromachi Period (14th century). This is believed to be the second-oldest statue of En no Gyoja.