Kaiko-ji is a temple of the Shingon-shu Chisan-ha sect in Hiyoshi-cho, Sakata City, renowned nationally as the rare site where two sokushinbutsu — the mummified bodies of Chukai Shonin and Enmeikai Shonin — are enshrined together in a single temple. Tradition holds that the temple was founded by the Shingon master Kukai some 1,200 years ago, and its principal image is the Womb Realm Mahavairocana …

According to temple tradition, Kaiko-ji (formally Sako-zan Kaiko-ji) was founded some 1,200 years ago by the Shingon master Kukai during the early Heian period. As a temple of the Shingon-shu Chisan-ha sect, its principal image is the Womb Realm Mahavairocana, representing the Yudono Gongen deity, a…