Dai-Gomadō

Built in 1998 from concrete to safely contain the daily goma fire ritual, the Dai-Gomado at Rinnoji Temple in Nikko holds the esoteric Buddhist practice of burning paper prayers and wooden tablets to send intentions skyward. The central deity, Fudo Myo-o, stands among more than 30 Buddhist statues. Heian-period carvings of the Five Great Wisdom Kings occupy the central dais. A golden dragon painted on the ceiling by Yoshihara Akio, who spent two and a half years completing it on cypress boards, is particularly notable for its vivid use of gold leaf, unusual for ceiling dragons typically rendered only in black ink. A hidden statue of Chinjo Yasha is displayed to the public once every nine years.