Daigoji:
In 874, the Buddhist monk Shobo Rigen Daishi, who was a grand pupil of Kobo Daishi, the founder of the Shingon mission, built a hermitage on Mt. Daigo and carved two Kannon (Avalokitesvara) statues of Juntei and Nyoirin. Shobo dedicated them in a hall. This is the origin of the Daigoji Temple. After the foundation, thanks to deep devotions of Emperor Daigo, Suzaku, and Murakami, halls and stupas were built one after another as well as five-storey pagoda (Goju-no-to) in 951, completing the Daigoji complex, which covers the mountain from top to bottom. Since it’s opening, Daigoji Temple has retained an important position in the history of Buddhism in Japan. Many of it’s artifacts have been designated as national treasures and important cultural assets. In 1994, Daigoji Temple was registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Many annual events are held thay attract a high number of tourists, including the “Ho-Taiko Hanami Gyoretsu (Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s cherry blossom viewing parade)”, “Manto Kuyo-e”, and the “Godai-Rikison Ninno-e Festival (Godairiki-san)”, which is famous for a contest in which participants compete to see who can lift and hold huge amounts of mochi (steamed and pounded rice).
(Ref: Daigoji Temple pamphlet)
