Mitakezan Toun-ji Temple

Are you creating a “mental holiday”? This phrase marks the beginning of the story of Ontake-san Doun-ji Temple of the Nishiyama Jodo sect, which became famous for its double-headed lotus. Ontake-san Doun-ji Temple was founded in 1555 by Zenka Hoji.
During the Hakuhō era, in the depths of Tarumi, Tokoname City, Aichi Prefecture, Gyōki Bodhisattva, who had received an imperial decree from Emperor Shōmu, carved a statue of the Holy Kannon Bodhisattva using incense wood from India and enshrined it on Mount Ontake, establishing the “Mount Ontake 300 Temples,” the largest temple complex on the Chita Peninsula, with seven main halls and 300 sub-temples.
However, in 1537, during the war, the temple buildings and halls of Mount Ontake, which had been the center of faith and culture for hundreds of years, were completely burned down.
To escape the destruction of the temple buildings, the Buddhist statues were said to have been sunk into a pond or buried in fields.
As time passed, during the dredging of Ontake Pond, the principal image of Amida Buddha (created in the late Heian period) emerged from the pond. With this sacred connection, a temple was established as a place of Nembutsu faith.
This marks the beginning of Ontake-san Douun-ji Temple. Since then, it has continued to uphold the tradition as a place of Nembutsu practice.
Additionally, many people visit for the pilgrimage of Kukai (the 62nd station of the Chita Shikoku Pilgrimage), the pilgrimage of Kannon Bodhisattva (the 13th station of the Chita Saigoku Pilgrimage), and the Bishamonten Grand Festival. We also invite you to see the “Neko Daishi” statue created by Kozawa Yasumaro, a writer from Seto City, which allows you to feel the presence of Kukai up close. Many visitors to Chita Shikoku are cat lovers, and the adorable figure of Kukai is sure to lift your spirits!