is a Tendai temple in Kiyama, Saga Prefecture,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. Its honorary '' sangō'' prefix is .

History

The temple was founded by Gyōki in 717 A.D. It was razed in 835 A.D., however, it was restored by the Buddhist priest Ennin in 847. In the

Kyōroku was a after '' Daiei'' and before '' Tenbun''. This era spanned from August 1528 to July 1532. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1528 : The era name was changed to mark the enthronement of Emperor Go-Nara. The previous era ended and ...

era around the year 1530 A.D., the temple was burnt down in a war. In 1542, however, the main hall was rebuilt by Tsukushi Korekado ( 筑紫惟門) who ruled the area. Later, in the Edo period, Kiyama became a part of

Tsushima Province was an Old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan on Tsushima Island which occupied the area corresponding to modern-day Tsushima, Nagasaki, Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Nagasaki. It was sometimes called . Political history The origin of T ...

, and

Sō Yoshinari Sō, So or Sou (written: 宗 or 宋) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * (born 1953), Japanese long-distance runner, twin brother of Takeshi * (born 1953), Japanese long-distance runner, twin brother of Shigeru * (1715 ...

, the feudal lord of Tsushima Domain helped rebuilt the temple in 1624.

The Eleven-Faced Kannon

The Statue of the Eleven-Faced Kannon (Guanyin or the Goddess of Mercy) is said to have been carved by a priest known as Gyōki. As a "hidden Buddha," it is concealed and can only be seen during the year of the horse every 12 years.

The Garden

Red leaves and roof of main hall of Daikozenji Temple 2

The Chigiri-en (契園), behind the main hall, is a forested botanical garden at the foot of Mount Chigiri on the border between Chikushino in Fukuoka Prefecture and Kiyama in Saga Prefecture. In the gardens, in the latter half of April and the early half of May about 50,000 azalea plants are in bloom here in a whirl of color attracting hundreds of flower lovers.

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daikozen-Ji Buddhist temples in Saga Prefecture Tendai temples Buildings and structures in Saga Prefecture