A Tendai temple revered throughout Kanto as the Nio protector against fire and theft. Founded in 781 when Fujiwara no Tsunetsuna, eastern expeditionary ambassador, enshrined the principal image. The Nio statues in the Nio Gate are especially famous for their miraculous power against fire and theft. The principal Eleven-Faced Kannon is carefully guarded as a hidden Buddha. The three-storied pagoda …

Founded in 781 when Fujiwara no Tsunetsuna enshrined Eleven-Faced Kannon for eastern province protection. In the Heian period, it became a Tendai Buddhist center of the Awa-Kazusa region. The Nio Gate statues, said to be Kamakura-period works, spread their reputation for fire and theft protection. A…