Kokawa-dera temple

It is written in the “Kokawa-dera Engiemaki” (National Treasure) that the Kokawa temple was built by Ootomono Kujiko in 770.

The great front gate (National Important Cultural Property) at the entrance of the temple is a two-storied gate in a sangen-ikkomon style (a gate that has eight pillars) built in 1707. Beyond the gate, the temple ground spreads out about 1 kilometer wide from east to west, and 0.7 kilometers from north to south. There is a Fudo-do, a pond, and a Dounan-do on the path that leads to an inner gate (National Important Cultural Property). From there you can see the main hall and the Senju-do. The kanji characters “風猛山” written in the plaque is the 10^th feudal lord of Kishu-han, Tokugawa Harutomi’s own handwriting.

The main hall (National Important Cultural Property) is the largest among the Saigoku Sanjuusansho (Saigoku 33 Kannnon Pilgrimage) sacred place’s fudasho temples. The gardens (National Scenic Spot) on both sides of the stairs leading to the main hall were constructed between the Azuchi-Momoyama era to the beginning of the Edo era.