A Tendai temple near the summit of Mount Iwafune (172 m) in Tochigi City, traditionally said to have been founded by Kukai in 807. It is the 17th sacred site of the Bando Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage, enshrining a Thousand-Armed Kannon as its principal image, and has drawn pilgrims from across the region since ancient times. The summit commands a panoramic view of the Kanto Plain, and the mounta…

Koshoji Temple on Mt. Iwafune (172 m) in Tochigi City is traditionally said to have been founded in 807 by the Buddhist monk Kukai (Kobo Daishi). The temple belongs to the Tendai sect and enshrines a Thousand-Armed Kannon (Senju Kanzeon Bosatsu) as its principal image. From its earliest days it was …