Hōkō-ji

Hoko-ji traces its origins to the Nara period, traditionally said to have been founded in 730 CE by the monk Gyoki. The temple, bearing the mountain name Nikkozan, enshrines the eleven-faced Kannon as its principal image, kept as a hidden Buddha. During the Heian period, the legendary general Sakanoue no Tamuramaro is said to have built and expanded the temple complex. Along with Tokawa-ji and Gobufu-ji, it is counted among the oldest temples in the Matsumoto area. Originally a Shingon temple, it fell into disrepair during the Meiji-era dissolution of Buddhist institutions before being revived in the Taisho period as a Soto Zen temple.