Senko-ji Temple, Hida (Ryomen-Sukuna and Enku Sculptures)

According to Senkōji's tradition, the site was opened approximately 1,600 years ago by Ryōmen Sukuna, and approximately 1,200 years ago (early Heian period) the temple was formally established as a Shingon esoteric Buddhist training centre by Shinnyo Shinnō — one of the ten great disciples of Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai) (Hida Takayama Travel Guide). The temple was burned during the Takeda clan's invasion of Hida in Eiroku 7 (1564) and subsequently rebuilt by the Kanamori clan, lords of Takayama Castle and later rulers of Hida Province, in the form that survives today. The current denomination is Kōyasan Shingon Buddhism; the temple on the mid-slope of Mt Kesa maintains the tradition of mountain Buddhist ascetic practice (shinzen-kanhō). Enkū — a 17th-century mountain-forest ascetic monk — visited Hida Province and used Senkōji as one of his bases while carving a large number of votive images during his circuit of the region.

The earliest literary record of Ryōmen Sukuna appears in the 65th year of Emperor Nintoku's reign in the Nihon Shoki: 'In the land of Hida there was a man named Sukuna. His body was a single one, but he had two faces. The faces looked away from each other, and the crown was a single one; there was no nape. Each face had its own arms and legs; there were knees but no hollow at the back of the knee. He was strong and agile. He wore swords on his left and right sides and used bows with all four hands. He refused to submit to the imperial command and found pleasure in raiding the people. Therefore, Naniwane-ko Takeburuma, the ancestor of the Wani no Omi, was sent to kill him.' (Nihon Shoki Japanese translation, Book Eleven: Emperor Nintoku). The Nihon Shoki passage depicts a Hida strongman who refused submission to central authority as a monstrous rebel; local tradition has long reversed this framing, recasting Ryōmen Sukuna as the guardian and heroic protector of the Hida people. Enkū (1632–1695), a mountain-forest ascetic who circulated through Aichi, Gifu, the Kantō region, Hokuriku, and Hokkaido, left approximately 5,000 surviving works (Museum of Art, Bijutsutecho, Enkū Buddha feature). Senkōji's wooden Kongorikishi statues (over 2 m tall), carved directly into standing live timber (tachiki-butsu), have been traced by art historians to the Heian-period tradition of tree-spirit worship and standing-tree Buddhist images, placing them within a longer genealogy of Japanese sculptural history (Tokyo Art Beat, special exhibition report).

Senkōji is listed in the Hida Takayama Travel Guide (the official site of the Hida-Takayama Tourism Convention Association) as 'Hida Senkōji — Enkū Buddha Temple Treasury,' positioning it as a major local cultural resource (Hida Takayama Travel Guide). From January to March 2025, Mitsui Memorial Museum in Nihonbashi, Tokyo mounted the special exhibition 'Souls Embodied: Enkū Buddhas — Centred on Hida Senkōji,' which included the first exhibition in Tokyo of the Ryōmen Sukuna figure (PR TIMES exhibition announcement). The head priest engages in distinctive community activities (as noted on the Senkōji official site), contributing to the living transmission of the site's religious culture in the contemporary context.

To visit the Enkū Buddha Temple Treasury (寺宝館), plan a visit on a Saturday, Sunday, or national holiday between April and November (9:30–16:30); the treasury is closed from December through March. The autumn colour season (mid-October through early November) is the most beautiful time in the precincts. The main hall is open for prayer year-round.

The composition of the main hall set against the verdant slopes of Mt Kesa is the defining exterior image. Confirm the photography rules inside the temple treasury before shooting — restrictions vary by object. The Kongorikishi statues (over 2 m, carved from standing living timber) have a commanding presence that reads best in a frontal composition.

The Enkū Buddha Temple Treasury is open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays (April–November). It is completely closed from December through March. Strongly recommended: call ahead to Senkōji (TEL: 0577-78-1021) to confirm opening hours. As the trailhead for the Hida-Norikura Quasi-National Park, the surrounding mountain paths should not be entered without appropriate equipment.