A very small temple in an urban neighborhood just north of Nogata, temple 16 of the Kyushu pilgrimage seems to have only been founded less than 100 years ago.
The temple was founded by a nun who had a dream of the Ishizuchi Zao Gongen, the patron deity of shugendo and specifically the famous shugendo mountain on Shikoku, Mount Ishizuchi. It is the principal statue at the temple although there is no official link between the temple and Mt. Ishizuchi.
In front of the small main hall was a set of Rokujizo, the six forms of Jizo Bosatsu. There were also numerous Mizuko Jizo, statues memorializing dead babies.
It was drizzling with rain and I had a long way to go to my bed for the night so I headed off quickly without properly exploring, which is a shame as looking back up the hill I saw a large statue of Fudo Myo, unusually dressed in yellow robes.
Like all the temples on this pilgrimage, Zenkakuji belongs to the Shingon sect.
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