Chionji Temple

Chionji Temple guards the southern entrance to Amanohashidate and is dedicated to Monju, the bodhisattva of wisdom. Its two-story pagoda, completed in 1501, is the oldest wooden structure in Miyazu city and appears in a famous painting by Sesshu Toyo, which allowed art historians to date the work precisely. The principal statue depicts Monju riding a lion and is thought to date to the Kamakura period. Just outside the temple gates, four tea houses sell wisdom mochi, a sweet red bean confection linked to the temple's deity. Historically, travelers to the Amanohashidate sandbar were ferried from temple grounds.