Kanjizai-ji, Buddhist temple in Ainan, Japan

Kanjizai-ji is a Buddhist temple located in the hills of Ainan with traditional Japanese architecture and several important statues housed in its main hall. The complex is home to Benzaiten, a protective deity recognized among the region's Seven Gods of Fortune.

Founded in 807 by Kūkai on the orders of Emperor Heizei, who granted the temple the name Hirajo and visited annually with Emperor Saga. The temple later received the title Yakuin-in from Prince Kūshō in 1638 and became a prayer site of the Uwajima Date clan. It is the 40th of the 88 Shikoku pilgrimage temples and lies farthest from the first temple, earning it the name 'back checkpoint of the Shikoku pilgrimage'.

The name Kanjizai comes from Avalokitesvara as written in the Heart Sutra. Small festivals called O-daishi-sama are held roughly every two months to honour the temple's link with Kūkai, and visitors water the statue of their own zodiac sign among the Hattaihutsu-Jūnishi-Honzon.

The temple invites visitors to participate in traditional rituals connected to the twelve zodiac animals. The grounds are best explored at a relaxed pace to fully appreciate the statues and details throughout the complex.

Kanjizai-ji is called the "back checkpoint of the Shikoku pilgrimage" because it lies farther from temple No. 1, Ryozen-ji, than any other of the 88 sites. Its honzon, a Yakushi Nyorai said to have been carved by Kūkai, is a hidden image shown only once every 50 years; the next display is scheduled for 2034.