Futago-ji Temple

Futago-ji is a Tendai Buddhist temple located halfway up Mount Futago, which rises at the center of the Kunisaki Peninsula. Traditionally said to have been founded by the Buddhist monk Ninmon in 718, it served as the head temple of the Rokugo Manzan temple complex and was a center for mountain ascetic practice. During the Edo period, it was also a place of prayer for the Matsudaira family, lords of the Kitsuki Domain.

At the entrance to the approach leading up to Futago-ji stand two Nio guardian statues, each 7.5 feet tall. The largest in the Kunisaki area, they are regarded as masterpieces. Some visitors rub the statues’ feet while praying for healthy legs and lower backs. Beyond the moss-covered stone steps are the temple gate, reception hall, Goma Hall, where a ritual fire ceremony is held on the 28th of each month, and the Great Lecture Hall. Just over 70 stone steps farther up is the inner sanctuary, which enshrines the Eleven-Faced, Thousand-Armed Kannon and Ryosho Daigongen, deities believed to grant blessings for conceiving a child.

The temple grounds have been selected as one of Japan’s 100 Best Forests for Forest Bathing and are known for their fall foliage. The spring water at the Hashirimizu Kannon Hall is regarded as sacred and has also attracted attention as a spiritual energy spot.