family temple

The old main hall and simple stonework are surrounded by dense cedar trees,giving it the feel of a sacred place that has been around for hundreds of years.It is a temple of the Chion-in school of the Jodo sect,and is known as the temple where Honen Shonin, the founder of the Jodo sect,trained as a child. It was originally a temple of the Hosso sect,and it is said that it was opened by Gyoki during the Nara period,and by Yakukozuno during the era of Emperor Jito. It is said that it once prospered as a base for mountain Buddhism,boasting seven temples and thirty-six temples,but it was destroyed by military fire during the Muromachi period,and only the main hall remains. The large ginkgo tree that towers over the precincts is the largest tree in the prefecture,with a height of about 45 meters and a circumference of about 12 meters,and is estimated to be over 900 years old.It has been designated as a national natural monument and has also been selected as one of the top 100 trees in Japan.