Kimiisan Kongohoji Gokoku-in (Kimii-dera)

和歌山県

Second temple of the Saigoku 33 — head temple of the Kuse Kannon sect, founded 770, famous for the earliest cherry blossoms in Kansai and the three sacred springs

Founded

770

Type

Temple

Visited

Want to go

Access

About 10 min on foot from JR Kimiidera Station

1201 Kimiidera, Wakayama City, Wakayama

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Info

Temple

Founded 770

1256 years

Enshrined Deity

十一面観世音菩薩

秘仏

Founder

Iko Shonin (legendary, Tang Chinese monk)

Buddhist Sect

Kuse Kannon sect (head temple)

Overview

Kimii-dera, the second temple of the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, is the head temple of the Kuse Kannon sect, perched on the middle slope of Mt. Nagusa in Wakayama City. According to tradition the Tang Chinese monk Iko Shonin founded the temple in 770 after being guided to the site by a golden ray of light, carving an Eleven-Headed Kannon image as the principal object of worship. Three sacred spring…

Origins

Tradition holds that in 770 the Tang Chinese monk Iko Shonin was guided to Mt. Nagusa by a golden ray of light and carved a self-made Eleven-Headed Kannon image to enshrine on the spot. The three sacred springs — Kissho-sui, Shojo-sui and Yoryu-sui — well up within the precincts and are listed among…

Pilgrimage Circuit

A pilgrimage of 33 Kannon temples — the oldest Kannon circuit in Japan, winding through 6 prefectures in the Kinki region and Gifu

Saigoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage

Principal Buddha

Eleven-headed Kannon

十

About Jūichimen Kannon

Wooden standing Eleven-Headed Kannon (Hokkeiji, Nara, National Treasure, Heian period)

Jūichimen Kannon (Eleven-Headed Kannon): bears eleven faces atop the principal head to perceive and rescue suffering beings in all directions. Long venerated as a deity of healing and warding off misfortune.

Kannon Forms · Seven Kannon

聖

Shō

十

Jūichimen

千

Senju

如

Nyoirin

馬

Batō

准