Ryūkōji

Ryukoji, officially named Inarizan Gokoku-in Ryukoji, is the 41st temple of the Shikoku Eighty-Eight Temples pilgrimage, belonging to the Shingon-shu Omuro sect. According to temple tradition, Kobo Daishi Kukai visited this site in 807 (Daido 2) and, encountering a white-haired elder whom he recognized as the incarnation of the Gokoku Daimyojin, carved a statue of Inari Myojin and enshrined it here with the Juichimen Kanzeon Bosatsu as the principal image. Originally located in the Inari rice paddies, the temple was relocated to its current site at Hirota-mori in 1688. The original Inari Shrine main hall survives as a city-designated cultural property, and the ancient pilgrimage road is designated a National Historic Site.