Hakuchozan Hōjiji Temple

The temple is said to have begun during the Tenzō era when Kūkai, out of reverence for Yamato Takeru, carved a Jizō Bodhisattva statue and built a small shrine. In its early days, it was called Hōjiji (Treasure-Keeping Temple) as a temple protecting the treasures of the Hakuchō Mausoleum. It was re-established as a Sōtō school temple in the first year of the Hōtoku era (1369 CE) or during the Bunmei era (1469–1487 CE), and was renamed Hōjiji (Dharma-Keeping Temple) in its current form during the Jōō era (1652–1655 CE). During the Sengoku period, Oda Nobunaga visited to pray for victory, and in the Meiji era, the temple was granted the status of a Jōkōkai temple by Eiheiji.