Seiganto-ji Temple, Buddhist temple in Nachikatsuura, Japan
Seiganto-ji is a Tendai Buddhist temple on a forested hillside beside Nachi Falls. Its three-tiered pagoda, rebuilt in 1972, stands on a stone base with white walls, orange railings and dark grey roofs, topped by a metal finial. The main hall, rebuilt in 1590, is a single-storey irimoya-roofed building.
The temple's buildings burned during the civil wars of the 16th century but were rebuilt in 1587 under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. This reconstruction shaped the layout that survives today.
The temple is the first of 33 stops on the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, a route fixed by Emperor Kazan after his 988 visit; he wrote the goeika hymns still sung at each temple. The main hall's Nyoirin Kannon is shown only on Setsubun, when the hibutsu is unveiled.
From the entrance of the approach path, 473 stone steps lead up to the main hall at about 330 m elevation, taking just under 20 minutes. Buses from Kii-Katsuura Station reach the Nachisan stop in about 30 minutes. The path to Seiganto-ji branches right from the torii of Kumano Nachi Taisha.
Archaeological excavations in 1918 at the waterfall base uncovered a Sutra mound filled with numerous artifacts. These discoveries are now displayed in the Ryuhoden treasury hall and reveal the site's long history of worship.
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