Taisanji
"Big Mountain Temple"
So here we are at Big Mountain Temple, and you know what I found out? This one wasn't built by Gyōgi! The majority of the ones we've visited were, but instead, this one was built by Mano Kogorō, who was a rich merchant from neighboring Kyūshū. He built it in the 6th century to honor Kannon for protecting him when his ship sank whilst en route to Ōsaka. When he washed up on shore, he looked up to see a bright light coming from the mountaintop, so naturally he went up to discover what caused it. Atop the mountain he found a statue of Kannon, so he built the temple on that very spot. There's a festival held here every year on May 17th in Mano's honor. The hondō here is a National Treasure, and was built without metal nails.
This is an especially pretty temple. There's a wonderful view, and the buildings are beautiful. I'd kind of like to stay here for a few days to rest, but we ought to keep moving.
