Fukōji

Fukoji is the oldest Buddhist temple in Omuta, founded in 820 by the priest Ennin on behalf of the Miike clan. Today its current main hall dates to the Edo period, housing two prefectural Cultural Properties: a twelfth-century wooden Yakushi Nyorai statue and a 1429 carving of the temple's founder. The real draw between mid-February and late March is the Garyubai, a 350-year-old double-flowering pink plum tree along the main hall approach. Though only three meters tall, it stretches 25 meters downhill as its branches took root where they touched the ground. Admission is charged during bloom season.