Nagaoji Temple

Nagaoji is the 87th temple on the 88-site Shikoku Pilgrimage, a Tendai temple with origins dating to 739 when the priest Gyoki visited during his travels around the island. The current buildings are largely from the Edo period, when the temple received support from the lords of Takamatsu domain. The Main Gate, built in 1694, is among the oldest surviving structures on the grounds. The East Gate was relocated here in 1913 from the historic Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu. A stone monument near the entrance commemorates Lady Shizuka, mistress of the warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who is said to have become a nun here after the lovers were forced to part.