Daifuku-ji, Buddhist temple in Tateyama, Japan.
Daifuku-ji is a Buddhist temple in Tateyama, Japan, where the Kannon Hall sits on steep rock cliffs of Mount Funakata, supported by vermilion wooden pillars. Inside the hall stands a tall Kannon statue, and the temple also keeps ancient stone carvings within its rooms.
The temple was founded in 717, during the Nara period, by a Buddhist priest named Gyoki. It later received official recognition from the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period.
Pilgrims come here to pray before the Kannon statue kept inside the stone halls. The red wooden pillars holding the hall above the rock give the place a look that ties religious practice to the mountain setting.
The temple sits high on a cliff face, so sturdy footwear is a good idea and it helps to allow extra time for the walk. Some paths on the grounds are uneven, so taking care with each step makes the visit easier.
The hall is built directly into the rock face, so the stone of the cliff and the wooden structure meet without a clear boundary. At certain points, it is genuinely hard to tell where the mountain ends and the building begins.
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