No. 10Enjoji Temple（Kyotango City）

A historical record of Enjoji Temple states, "In 717, when the temple’s founder, [the Indian monk known as] Zenmui arrived in Japan, he discovered 18 benevolent deities protecting the land, where purple clouds floated, and the light of Kannon [the Buddhist god of compassion] was as brilliant as the full moon. Zenmui was delighted, and when he inquired about the origin of this light, he was given a sacred statue."
Emperor Konin built the temple in 771 and named it Senjuin, and Emperor Ichijo made it an imperial temple in 988. Emperor Kanmu gave the temple the name Enjoji in 795. Since then, Enjoji Temple has flourished as a center of Buddhist faith in the Tango region, boasting 7 halls and 25 other buildings that extend over 300 meters (980 feet) from the outer gate to the main hall. The smoke and aroma of incense always fills the valleys.
The temple has survived three major fires and been rebuilt each time. It is home to a large number of wooden upright statues of the thousand-armed Kannon and stone pagodas that have been designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan, as well as cultural properties designated and registered by Kyoto Prefecture and cultural properties designated by Kyotango City. Some of these treasures are on display for public viewing on October eighteenth. Furthermore, for over one thousand years until the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Enjoji Temple’s priest also served as the head priest of the local shrine, Karatachi no Miya.
Other names used for the Enjoji Temple include Hashikisan ("Mount Hashiki," with "mountain" being used figuratively to mean "Buddhist temple"), Hashiki-dera (Hashiki Temple), and Hachiki no Miya (Hashiki Shrine). These are based on the traditional place name of the local community, Hashiki, and speak to the temple's importance in local history.