Chion-ji 智恩寺
The largest gate in Tango: three passageways, two storeys, sixteen disciples upstairs.
One of the three temples in Japan dedicated to Monju, the bodhisattva of wisdom (a figure in Buddhism who stopped short of enlightenment in order to help others). It stands at the foot of the swing bridge, at the southern end of the sandbar. Its gate, called 黄金閣, is the largest in the Tango region: Zen style, three bays and two storeys, with the Shaka Buddha and the sixteen rakan on the upper floor, and it is a cultural property designated by the municipality. The origin the temple tells is the *Kusetoengi*: an evil dragon was ravaging this coast, and Monju was summoned from Mount Wutai, in China, to convert it.
Kyoto
Amanohashidate
