Toenji Temple

Toenji Temple traces its origins to the monk Kukai, who is said to have found a sacred spring northeast of Mt. Fuji in the early ninth century and established a place of worship there. The temple moved to its current location in 1711. Its main enshrined image is the Amida Buddha, flanked by the bodhisattvas Kannon and Seishi. The temple also holds a wooden Kannon statue dated 1317, originally from the neighboring Shibokusa Sengen-jinja Shrine and carved by the same sculptor as that shrine's goddess figure. In the nineteenth century, Toenji oversaw construction of the Oshino Hakkai Springs, and for a period was the only temple authorized to issue passes to Fujiko pilgrims ascending Mt. Fuji.