Saihoji Temple Fumeikaku

[Saiho-ji Temple] This was originally a Zen temple in Tanaka-cho, next to the Jizo-do Hall. The current location was originally the Zen temple Myohoji Temple, but it was destroyed by fire in 1602. The following year, it was moved to this site, the former site of Myohoji Temple, and converted to the Jodo sect. The temple grounds include the main hall, bell tower, kitchen, Hokkai Jizo Hall, and mountain gate. In front of the temple grounds is a magnificent stone wall that at first glance resembles a castle, giving the temple a magnificent appearance. The temple is a simple structure with a gabled roof, single story, flat entrance, and tiled roof, with an open void at the front and sides, and thick rafters on the side pillars. It is a valuable piece of architecture that is typical of Buddhist temples in this region in the mid-Edo period. The altar is in the Zen style. [Fumeikaku] Fumeikaku, located on a hill next to the main hall of Saiho-ji Temple, was built in 1758. It enshrines a wooden standing eleven-headed Kannon statue (a prefectural important cultural property), which was the principal image when Myohoji Temple was located on the site of Saihoji Temple. It has a square three-bay hogakuzukuri style, a double roof made of real tiles, and a stage structure, and was built in imitation of Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto. Although it is a relatively recent construction, it has a unique roof style and excellent detailed design. It can be seen from anywhere in town, and is an important piece of architecture that forms the center of the Takehara cityscape. If you climb up to Fumeikaku, you can get a panoramic view of the town of Takehara, and it is an important place that anyone who comes to Takehara must climb up to.