Ankokuron-ji, Buddhist temple in Matsubagayatsu, Japan.
Ankokuron-ji is a Buddhist temple set among mountains in Japan, surrounded by dense vegetation and integrated into the natural landscape. The grounds include multiple structures and areas, including a small hermitage located on the property.
The site was established in the late 13th century and quickly became an important location for spreading Buddhist teachings. A significant religious thinker spent time there and used the place to write influential texts.
The temple is connected to a small hermitage where a significant Buddhist master wrote some of his most influential works. This made the location an important center for the development of a particular school of Buddhism.
The temple sits in a mountainous area and requires a walk along shaded paths through forest to reach it. Visitors should bring appropriate footwear and be careful on slippery ground during wet weather.
A statue near the temple grounds shows a white monkey that, according to local accounts, helped a religious figure find a place of refuge. The statue is an example of how local stories and animal imagery are woven into the place's iconography.
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