Temple 39 of the Shikoku Eighty-Eight Sacred Places pilgrimage and the final temple in Tosa (Kochi)—known as the "closing temple of Tosa." Founded by Kobo Daishi, it enshrines Yakushi Nyorai as its principal image. The temple holds a legend in which a red tortoise carried a temple bell from the Dragon Palace under the sea; that bell, known as the "Enryaku Bell," survives to this day as a precious …

Enkoji Temple is traditionally said to have been founded in 815 by the Buddhist monk Kukai (Kobo Daishi). However, the sacred temple bell preserved on the grounds is believed to have been cast in 795, predating Kukai's visit, suggesting the site may have been venerated as a sacred place even earlier…