Tozenji Kannon-do (Tozenji Kannon Hall)

The temple's origins date back to 598 CE (Suiko 10), when the governor of Iyo Province, Chigane, built a hall to pray for the souls of his retainers who had died in battle. In 729 CE (Tenpyo 1), the monk Gyoki is said to have enshrined a life-size standing statue of Yakushi Nyorai in the trunk of a sacred tree. The Kannon (Avalokiteshvara) statue in the Kannon Hall is said to have been enshrined after Ochi Naomasa, a prisoner of war from the Battle of Silla, discovered the Buddha statue and his wish for a safe return home was granted.