kumagaya tera

Kumakai-ji is a prestigious sub-temple on Mt. Koya, holding the status of bekkaku honzan (special head temple) of the Koyasan Shingon sect. It was founded in 837 CE at the wish of Prince Kuzuhara. The temple's name is associated with the famous warrior Kumagai Naozane, who appears in the Tale of the Heike. After renouncing the warrior's path, Naozane became a disciple of the Buddhist master Honen, taking the religious name Rensho, and is said to have built a hermitage on this sacred mountain.