Kiyama-ji

Kiyama-ji, bearing the mountain name Io-zan, is a sub-head temple of the Koyasan Shingon sect in Maniwa, Okayama Prefecture. Legend holds that Kobo Daishi founded it in 815 (Konin 6), guided by an elderly woodcutter who was revealed to be a manifestation of Yakushi Nyorai. During the Ninjyu era it became a temple of imperial prayer under Emperor Montoku. Through the medieval and early modern periods it enjoyed the patronage of powerful warlords including the Akamatsu, Amago, Mori, and Ukita clans. Remarkably, the temple retains its syncretic Shinto-Buddhist form, complete with a torii gate, representing a rare surviving example of the combined faith tradition.