The oldest surviving Momoyama-period structure in the Tohoku region, on a small island in Matsushima Bay. Sakanoue no Tamuramaro first built a Bishamonten hall here; Jikaku Daishi Ennin later enshrined the Five Wisdom Kings. Reconstructed by Date Masamune in 1604, the statues inside are revealed only once every 33 years. The approach bridge features planks with sea-visible gaps.

The origins of Godaido are traditionally traced to the Enryaku era (782–806), when the military commander Sakanoue no Tamuramaro is said to have erected a hall dedicated to Bishamonten during his eastern campaigns. In the early 9th century, the Buddhist monk Jikaku Daishi Ennin enshrined images of t…