Take-dera Temple

What it is

• Tendai sect temple, founded in 857 by Ennin.
• Formal name is Iozan Yakujuin Hachioji.
• Known as a temple of Shinbutsu-shugo.
• 33rd sacred site of Musashino Kannon Pilgrimage.

What to see

• Main hall, rebuilt in 2003 after a fire.
• Wooden seated statue of Gozu Tenno in the main hall.
• Many haiku monuments on the temple grounds.
• Chinowa (reed ring) at the entrance torii.
• Copper seated statue of Dainichi Nyorai, a cultural property.

When to go

• Main hall opens once every 12 years in the year of the Ox.

Notes written by Japan Gems from facts in Japanese Wikipedia.