Daiho-onji Temple (Senbon Shakado Hall)

The Senbon Shakado Hall at Daiho-onji Temple is the oldest surviving wooden structure in Kyoto, built in 1227 and designated a National Treasure. Its survival owes something to a famous legend: when the head carpenter accidentally cut a main pillar too short, his wife Okame suggested trimming all pillars to match and using extended eaves to compensate. The hall was completed on schedule. Okame later took her own life to protect her husband's reputation, and her spirit was enshrined on the grounds. Construction workers still visit to pray before new projects, and the temple draws those hoping for luck in marriage, with Okame dolls displayed throughout the compound.