S P O T ／ SPOT-211

Senkoji Temple and Enku Buddhist Statue Museum

千光寺・円空仏寺宝館せんこうじ・えんくうぶつじほうかん

An ancient temple of the Shingon Koyasan school situated on the slopes of Mt. Kesago at approximately 900 m elevation in the Hida highlands. According to the temple chronicle Senkoji-ki (1621), its founding is attributed to Ryomen Sukuna, a local chieftain of the 4th century mentioned in the Nihon Shoki. The temple was subsequently established as an esoteric Shingon prayer site by Prince Shinnyo during the Heian period. The Enku Buddhist Statue Museum on the grounds houses and displays 64 sculptures carved by Edo-period itinerant monk-sculptor Enku during his extended residence at the temple around 1685. The centerpiece, the Seated Ryomen Sukuna (1686), is designated an Important Cultural Property of Gifu Prefecture. A handwritten poetry anthology by Enku himself, the Kesa Hyakushu, also survives at the temple.