Kikō-ji, Buddhist temple in Minamiuonuma, Japan.
Kikō-ji is a Sōtō Zen temple founded in 1596 in Minamiuonuma, Niigata Prefecture, with the mountain name Suiryūzan. It serves as a branch temple of Undō-an and is the fifth stop on the Ueda Kannon pilgrimage. The grounds include a trailhead for the roughly four-hour Kikō-ji Kannonzan course up Mount Kinjō, and a kobushi walking path in the surrounding hills.
Founded in 1596 as a Sōtō Zen temple, it suffered two major fires during the Edo period that reshaped its structures. The recovery from these events led to renaming the mountain and rebuilding the complex in new ways.
Kikō-ji is the fifth stop on the Ueda Kannon pilgrimage circuit, and its hillside grounds are the starting point of the Kikō-ji Kannon-yama route up Mount Kinjō, a climb of about four hours. A kobushi magnolia trail runs through the surrounding satoyama. The temple holds its Suiryū-san fair on dates set by the resident priest, and zazen sessions began in August 2020.
Visitors can reach the temple by bus from Muika-machi Station, with the journey taking around 20 minutes. Driving via the Kan'etsu Expressway offers another option for those preferring flexibility in their visit timing.
The temple's name is written with the character for the Chinese parasol tree, and a grove of those trees grows on the hill behind the main hall. The temple is the starting point of the Kikō-ji Kannon-yama course up Mount Kinjō, a climb of about four hours, and a kobushi magnolia walking trail runs through the surrounding satoyama.
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