Kaijusenji Temple

Kaijusenji Temple sits partway up Mt. Sanjoyama in Kizugawa, placed northeast of the ancient Kunikyo capital in the eighth century to guard against evil from that traditionally unlucky direction. The five-storied pagoda, completed around 1442, is a designated National Treasure and has never been rebuilt since its original construction. The Monjudo Hall is an Important Cultural Property from the Kamakura period. Standing Eleven-Headed Kannon statues from the Heian period are enshrined in the main hall and sanctuary. The temple commands a view of the Kizu River valley, including the ruins of the imperial palace that briefly made this area Japan's capital.