Wanibuchi-ji

Wanibuchi-ji, nestled in a deep valley in Besshomachi, Izumo, Shimane Prefecture, is a Tendai Buddhist temple founded in 594 (Suiko 2) by the monk Jichun. According to temple tradition, Jichun prayed at Fury-no-taki waterfall and miraculously healed Emperor Suiko's eye ailment, leading to its establishment as an imperial vow temple. The temple name derives from a legend in which a crocodile (wani) retrieved a sacred vessel from the waterfall basin and offered it up. From the Heian period onward, the temple developed ties with Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei and flourished as a Tendai ascetic training site. It is also known as the temple where Musashibo Benkei trained for three years from the age of eighteen. The bronze bell said to have been carried by Benkei from Daisen-ji is designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan, as is a written prayer in the handwriting of Emperor Go-Daigo.