Kezoin Temple

Kezoin is one of four surviving temple halls at Yamadera in Yamagata, where twelve buildings once housed monks on the forested slopes of Mt. Hoju. Inside, the altar holds a statue of Kannon attributed to the 9th-century monk Ennin who founded Yamadera. Outside, tucked into a carved alcove in the rock face, stands Japan's smallest three-story pagoda, built in 1519 and designated an Important Cultural Property in 1952. It is 2.5 meters tall, painted vermilion, with gilded filigree on the eaves, and houses a statue of Amida Nyorai. The combination of rock, color, and scale makes it one of the most striking small structures at the entire complex.