Kaiganji Temple

Kaiganji Temple spreads across a coastal and inland zone in Tadotsu, on the Seto Inland Sea. According to legend, the priest Kukai founded it in 807 near where his mother Lady Tamayori once lived, and a hall called Butsumoin now marks the assumed site of her residence. The entrance Niomon gate is unusual: instead of the typical Buddhist guardian statues, sumo wrestlers flank the doorway. Several spots on the grounds open toward views of the island-dotted sea, including a beach behind the Main Hall and the Okunoin Hall, reached by a 15-minute climb up a nearby hill. Kaiganji is also a stop on the Shikoku 88-Temple Pilgrimage.