"Where the fierce Horse-Headed Kannon guards the path to nirvana on a temple built in a single night"
Motoyamaji Temple
Mitoyo, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
Motoyamaji Temple, the 70th station on Shikoku's 88-temple pilgrimage, guards the approach to spiritual completion. According to legend, Kobo Daishi built this temple in a single night. Its fierce Horse-Headed Kannon - unique among the 88 temples - and its Kamakura-period main hall designated a National Treasure make this a distinctive station on the path to enlightenment.
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Quick Facts
Location
Mitoyo, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
Coordinates
34.0823, 133.7847
Last Updated
Jan 14, 2026
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Founded by Kobo Daishi in 807 CE, miraculously built in one night, home to the only Horse-Headed Kannon on the pilgrimage.
Origin Story
In 807 CE, by order of Emperor Heijo, the great master Kobo Daishi traveled to this site in Sanuki Province. According to temple legend, he built the entire complex in a single night. He carved the principal image himself: Bato Kannon, the Horse-Headed Kannon. The temple was originally named Chofukuji.
Centuries later, during the Tensho era (1592-1598), the temple faced destruction. Soldiers from Chosokabe's army attacked the head priest inside the main hall. But then something impossible occurred: blood fell from the right hand of the Amida Nyorai statue. The warriors, terrified by this miracle, fled without completing their destruction. The statue became known as 'Tachiuke no Amida' - the Amida who receives the sword. The temple was renamed Honzan-ji (Motoyamaji).
Key Figures
Kobo Daishi (Kukai)
Temple founder
Spiritual Lineage
Motoyamaji belongs to the Shingon Buddhist tradition, founded by Kobo Daishi himself. As the 70th temple on the Shikoku pilgrimage, it represents the transition into the 'entering nirvana' stage of the journey. The temple maintains the distinctive Bato Kannon veneration that sets it apart from all other temples on the pilgrimage route.
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