DISCOVER FUKUI

The Wakasa Kannon Pilgrimage consists of 33 sites. Shion-in Temple is the 28th temple on this pilgrimage route, an ancient temple housing a sacred Kannon statue of the Rinzai sect. The 33 Kannon statues enshrined within the temple buildings were pl…

• Wakasa

The imposing standing statue of Bishamonten, created during the Kamakura period, is characterized by its fierce, demonic expression. Flanking it are standing statues of Kichijōten and Zenshidoji, all three designated as Important Cultural Propertie…

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Shōraku-ji Temple, the 32nd temple on the Wakasa Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage, was founded in 764 by the monk Gyōki. It is said that Gyōki himself carved the principal image, the Sacred Kannon Bodhisattva, from sacred wood found in the mountains …

• Wakasa

The seated statue of Fudō Myōō, believed to date from the Heian period, is designated an Important Cultural Property. Its imposing and majestic appearance has earned it the alternate name "Wave-Cutting Fudō," and it is revered by fishermen.

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Sakiji Shrine is an ancient shrine said to have been founded over 1,000 years ago. The Takahama Seven-Year Festival, the largest festival in the Reinan region of Fukui Prefecture held every six years over seven days, is the shrine's festival.

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This standing statue of the Eleven-Faced Kannon is carved into a ginkgo tree, estimated to be about 450 years old, standing near the mountain gate of Jōtan-zan Taiō-ji Temple. Believed to save people from all kinds of suffering, it attracts local w…

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Chōshōji Temple was built on the site of Fujishima Castle from the Nanboku-chō period, and part of the castle's earthen ramparts remain within the grounds of Nishi-Chōshōji Temple. Fujishima Castle is said to have been built by Shiba Takatsune, a m…

• Awara,Sakai,Fukui

Taira no Kiyomori's grandson, Taira no Morimori, fought as a commander for the Taira clan. He achieved a great victory in the Battle of Hiuchi at Imajō's Hiuchi Castle, but was defeated by Kiso Yoshizane at the Battle of Kurikara Pass. The Tale of …

• Awara,Sakai,Fukui

Kamo Shrine is located in Nata-sho, Ooi Town. It is said to have been established in 1348 (the 4th year of the Jōwa era), and records indicate it underwent renovations around the middle of the Edo period. Unique folk customs not seen elsewhere are …

• Wakasa

This temple of the Koyasan Shingon sect is said to have been founded by the great master Taichō. In the early Heian period (794-1185), it became an imperial temple commissioned by Emperor Murakami, and its name is said to derive from the era name T…

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Founded by the great monk Taichō, this site is said to have flourished greatly from the late Heian period through the Kamakura period. The stone nine-story pagoda, designated a National Important Cultural Property, stands at the foot of the mountai…

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It is said to have been founded by the great master Taichō, and in its heyday was a large temple with seven main halls. Today, it enshrines statues of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and the Thousand-Armed Kannon (both designated as prefectural cult…

• Tannan

As per the words of the deity Ichimon, who said "Do not build a shrine," Wakasa Town's Ichimon Shrine is a rare "shrine without a shrine building" in Japan. It is said that if you make a single wish with a pure heart and tell no one, it will come t…

• Wakasa

The great ginkgo tree at Myōkōji Temple is a large female ginkgo located on the western side of the temple grounds and is designated as a Prefectural Natural Monument. Its trunk circumference at breast height is 5.5 meters, its branch spread is app…

• Tannan

The Sacred Kannon Bodhisattva enshrined in Fukujuji Temple's main hall is said to depict the form of the princess from the Hand-Pestle Festival. It has also been claimed that this Kannon Bodhisattva was brought from Tang China.This seated statue st…

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Wakasa Kokubunji Temple is one of the provincial temples established nationwide during the Nara period by imperial decree of Emperor Shōmu and is designated as a national historic site. The Shakado Hall houses a large seated statue of Shaka Nyorai,…

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Following the old road through Ooi Town's Namashōshita district leads to Kanda Himegami Shrine. To the right of the main hall stand a Japanese mulberry tree and Japanese cedars, while to the left are Japanese cedars and cherry trees. The Japanese m…

• Wakasa

A Zen temple belonging to the Myōshinji branch of the Rinzai school. It is said to have been founded by the great master Taichō during the Tenpyō-hōji era in what is now Yoshié, Sabae City. After falling into ruin, it was restored during the Edo pe…

• Awara,Sakai,Fukui

The wooden demon masks (Tsuina masks) of parents and child at Kadashiwa Shrine, believed to date from the late Kamakura period, are designated as Important Cultural Properties of Japan. They are publicly displayed every February 11th, when the ritu…

• Tannan

By imperial decree issued by Emperor Shomu in 741, Kokubunji Temple was built in Takefu (present-day Echizen City), where the provincial capital was located. Today, it stands modestly beside the Soja Grand Shrine, but at the time of its founding, E…

• Tannan