Horinouchi Myohoji

People have been flocking to Myohoji since the Edo period. Known as a temple for yakuyoke – the warding off of evil – the grounds of the temple boast a number of historic structures which have been designated cultural properties by the city, or important cultural properties at the national level (look out for the Nio-mon and Tetsu-mon gates, the Onari-no-ma and the Soshi-do). The statues of the kongorikishi guardians, which sit on the left and right sides of the Nio-mon, are thought to have been donated by the fourth Tokugawa shogun, Ietsuna.