The oldest temple in Wakayama Prefecture, founded in 701. Famous as the setting of the Anchin-Kiyohime legend — jealous Kiyohime transformed into a serpent and burned the monk Anchin beneath the temple bell — a story retold in noh, kabuki, and bunraku for centuries. The Tendai-sect temple enshrines the Thousand-Armed Kannon beside the Hidaka River.

Dojoji Temple is traditionally said to have been founded in 701 CE at the imperial behest of Emperor Monmu by the monk Gien, making it the oldest temple in Kii Province (present-day Wakayama Prefecture). It belongs to the Tendai sect and enshrines the Thousand-Armed Kannon as its principal deity. Du…