Kotokuji Temple

Kotokuji Temple in Tsumago dates to around 1500 and became a Rinzai Zen temple by 1599. It has two gates: a plain postern gate for ordinary visitors and a more ornate gate reserved for higher-ranking arrivals. Walk through the main hall and you will hear the floor squeak underfoot, a deliberate construction technique called uguisubari (nightingale floor) designed to alert against intruders. The hall enshrines both Yakushi the Healing Buddha and Ebisu, one of the Seven Lucky Gods. In the kuri (kitchen and residence building), an unusually large temple crest in the shape of a Chinese bellflower covers the far wall. The roof has been re-done twice since 1941.