Kannonji Temple, No. 86 of the 88 Sacred Temples of Chita New Shikoku

#Travelingwithme I visited Kannonji Temple in Arao-cho, Tokai City. It is the 86th of the 88 New Shikoku Temples of Chita, and is a temple associated with Hosoi Heisu. In one corner of the temple grounds, there is a "Kusakokake no Matsu" (Pine Tree with Grass Hanging), which Heisu climbed when he was in the Terakoya. In the temple grounds, there is the Kannon Hall, Kobo Hall, Dainichi Hall, Kuri, Bell Hall, and a large camphor tree designated as a cultural property by Tokai City. Kannonji Temple was founded in 1266, but the original building was burned down in a fire, and it was later rebuilt and became the imperial temple of Emperor Go-Kashiwabara. It flourished under the protection of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Hideyori, but was burned down again in 1945 during the Pacific War, and the current hall was rebuilt in 1953. The houses around the temple are made of black wooden walls, which makes you think that it was a settlement that had been there for a long time.