Nikko Rinno-ji

Nikko Rinno-ji was founded in 766 by the Buddhist monk Shodo and stands as the central temple of Nikko-san in the Tendai Buddhist tradition. As a directly controlled temple of the Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei, it has long served as the center of the Kanto Tendai sect. The Sanbut-su-do enshrines the three original manifestations of the Nikko sacred peaks: Senju Kannon, Amida Nyorai, and Batoh Kannon. During the Edo period, it played an important role as the ancestral temple of the Tokugawa shogunal house, and the head abbots were drawn from the imperial family, giving it the distinguished status of a monzeki temple. As a sacred site of syncretism between Shinto and Buddhism, it stands alongside Toshogu and Futarasan Jinja as part of the "Shrines and Temples of Nikko," recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—truly a treasure of Japan.