Shikoku Pilgrimage Temple 28 Dainichi-ji

Dainichi-ji is now a Shingon temple. It was founded in the 8th Century by Gyoki who also carved the honzon of Dainichi Nyorai, the Great Sun Buddha.

Kukai visited near here in the early 9th Century and according to the legend he carved a statue of Yakushi Nyorai out of a camphor tree using just his fingernails. It was housed at that spot in the Okunoin, inner sanctuary, of the temple.

Primarily because of this statue the temple is believed to be efficacious for the treatment of illnesses related to the head and upper body. The Okunoin was destroyed in a storm and the Yakushi statue moved to the main temple.

The Yakushi statue is a registered national Treasure. The temple is located in Konan City in Kochi Prefecture.

Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage temple 28 Jyoso-ji

The Nio gate to Jyoso-ji is some distance from the temple itself, though the temple complex was much larger in earlier times. It is said that the temple was founded by Gyoki, which would make it early 8th Century.

It is also said that Gyoki carved the Nio, and while they are fairly old I am certain that is a rather fanciful legend.

Located in the mountains behind Sada Shrine, the temple was the Okunoin (inner sanctuary) of that shrine. It now belongs to the Shingon sect.

In front of the main hall is a 450 year old plum tree, but it had long since past its blooming when I visited in June.

The main hall has some fine dragon carvings above the entrance.

Konomine-ji Temple 27 Shikoku Pilgrimage

Konomineji, temple 27 on the Shikoku Pilgrimage is known as both nansho and a sekisho. a "nansho" is a temple that is considered difficult to reach, usually, as in the case of Konomineji,, because it is high on a mountain. Sekisho were barriers on highways that checked your papers. In terms of the pilgrimage they are 4 temples considered spiritual barriers that you will not get past without the correct spiritual attitude.

The Nio in the gate were particularly striking, as was a large statue of Fudo Myoo.

Nowadays the pilgrimage is considered Buddhist, but prior to the Meiji Period such a distinction was not made, with some of the pilgrimage sites being shrines and not temples. Konomineji was founded as both shrine and temple, with the shrine being above the temple. The shrine doesnt get as many visitors.

The temple burnt down in the early Meiji Period, and it was forbidden at that time to build a new temple so the locals found an unused temple in another part of the country and had it dismantled and reassembled here.

According to the legend the shrine and temple were founded by Gyoki in the eighth Century. The main deity is an 11-faced Kannon. It is now a Shingon temple. Konomine Shrine is, in my opinion, worth the extra  climb to visit as it is the okunoin of the temple.

Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Temple 20 Chodaiji

Chodai-ji, a Tendai temple, is close to the border with Tottori, and the most easterly of all the temples on the pilgrimage.

"It is said" that the temple was founded by Gyoki, which would make it about 1300 years old. The temple was completely destroyed by a flood, but a local farmer had a dream that led him to the spot where the main statue was found miraculously undamaged.

In the early 18th Century the local daimyo, a Matsudaira, renovated and enlarged the temple.

There is a small Amida-do in the grounds as well as a small shrine.

Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Temple 18 Iwakurader

Iwakuradera the 18th temple of the pilgrimage is just a single, small hall located right next to temple 19.

It is actually probably much older than Kannonji (temple 19) and was probably originally located higher up the mountainside.

According to the legend the temple was founded by Gyoki, which would make it early 8th Century. The honzon is also attributed to him.

It is now a Shingon temple.

Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Temple 17 Seijyo-ji

Perched right on top of 450 meter high Hoshikamiyama, Seijyoji is probably the highest of all the temples on the Izumo Pilgrimage.

All that remains is the single main hall, which burnt down in 1951, a single stone pagoda, and a single statue.

It is now a Soto Zen temple, but was earlier a Shingon temple. The statue of 11 faced Kannon was supposedly carved by Gyoki which would suggest that it is older than Shingon.

Though it looks abandoned, villagers come here at the end of January for a ceremony that involves making and then carrying up the mountain a huge mochi, rice cake.

There are fantastic views, east towards Daisen 40k away (above) and also west towards Sanbe.

Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, Temple 11, Entsuji

Entsuji, the 11th temple on the Izumo 33 Kannon pilgrimage, like the previous temple,  Zenjoji,  was also a mountaintop temple with great views.

Also like the previous temple it was reputed to be founded by Gyoki in the early 8th Century, though it was another monk in the tenth Century who built it up into a larger temple. It is now of the Tendai sect.

It must must have been a pretty big complex in the heyday of Mori and Matsudaira rule of the area as it was reputed to receive the third largest amount of donations, after Izumo Taisha and Gakuenji.

Now all thats left is the priests house, a storehouse, the Kannon Hall, and a small Inari shrine.

Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Temple 10 Zenjoji

Zenjoji is both the 10th temple of the Izumo 33 Kannon pilgrimage and the twenty fourth temple of the Chugoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. It is a mountain top temple and has a fine pair of nio in the niomon at the base.

It is believed to have been founded by Gyoki which would put it in the early eighth century.

It is now a Tendai temple. There were 4 small shrines within the grounds including an Inari and one to Zaogongen.

It is quite a pretty temple and of course has superb views.