Yasha Jindō

Two small structures inside Toji Temple's grounds shelter guardian figures carved in camphor wood, each 136 centimeters tall and attributed to the great Buddhist teacher Kukai. They originally stood at the temple's south gate, but a legend arose that passersby who failed to show them proper respect would suffer misfortune, and in 1596 they were moved to their present location for safekeeping. The eastern figure is male, the western female, and both are understood as incarnations of bodhisattvas associated with wisdom. Despite their reputation for curses, the pair is also said to have the power to relieve toothaches, which seems like a fair trade.