The temple was f ounded by Abbot Kohsan, who was a layman until 1935, when he was ordained a Buddhist priest.
According to a local legend, he had a strange dream for three successful nights after being ordained a priest. In his dream he saw a temple nestling in the lofty hills with beautiful flower petals falling from the skies and could also hear the celestial music in the distance. Spirits of his departed mother and friends, young and old, danced about him and urged him to make his life's ambition the erection of a temple to console their souls. After many years his dreams began to take shape, and he completed one temple after another.
The area now covers approximately 48,000 square yards of beautifully landscaped hillside, including structures such as pagodas, a bell tower, a treasure hall, gates, sanctuaries, museums, botanical gardens, an aquarium and an aviary.
The temple's main Buddhist Shrine was built in the Fujiwara style. On both sides of the main shrine, one will find bright, silver-colored mythical, phoenix birds with their wings outstretched. This shrine is said to be a replica of the Byodo Palace's Phoenix Shrine at Uji.
The Koya Gate, which has been patterned after the gate in Nikko, is a lovely attraction with engravings, metal ornaments and brilliantly colored walls.
In the compound there is a cave created from lava rocks of Mt. Fuji, which is approximately 15 meters below ground level and 350 meters in depth. One will find enshrined 1,000 Buddhist idols carved of stone by the sculptor Seihachi Umakoshi.
The gate of Myoga resembles the one in Kyoto with replicas of dragons on the front of the doors and mythical guard dogs, which were made by a Kyoto artist, Setsui Kawakami.
One will also f ind a great statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, standing in the open air. It is approximately 15 meters high and is said to be a replica of a secret Buddhist idol of the Horyuji shrine.
Also in the compound is a f ive-story pagoda of the Asuka Era,introducing the Yamato and Muromachi styles. The brilliant colors add another attraction.
There is also a museum displaying various paintings, Buddhist figures, industrial arts and tea utensils. Near the museum there is a green house in which cactuses are growing.
After you leave the temple, you will find a three-story pagoda, built on top of Mt. Shione, which is now regarded as a national treasure. The pagoda is an interesting mixture of both the Wayo style (traditional Japanese) and Karayo style (traditional Chinese) with the entire interior brilliantly colored. It is said to rank eleventh among the God of Mercy's spiritual places in the Chugoku area. In autumn, the entire island turns into a brilliant gold and tangerine island. Especially during the months of October and November, travelers will come for the tangerine harvest. During summer, one can enjoy clear, blue ocean swimming as well as canoeing, wind surfing, yachting and other summertime events. In spring the cherry blossoms, beautifully colored azaleas and rhododendrons make a nice place for a picnic. In June the flowers of the wisterias are lovely near the Kannon statue.
You can also enjoy a wide variety of the 'Ocean's gourmet' and Japanese delicacies, including raw sea bream, an assortment of octopus dishes, salt broiled dishes and a delicious abundance of Seto's small fish and shellfishes.
Some of the products one would find are: lemon, navel oranges, tangerines, hassaku, iyokan, amanatsu, new summer oranges, anseikan and other fruits.
As for sea products, there are: wakame seaweed, various marine plants, such as igisu seaweed, dried octopus and other dried fishes. For confectioneries, one will find: sweet bean pastry made from 'amazake' (sweet wine), lemon cake and lemon senbei (Japanese crackers) as well as hot and cold home grown lemon juices.
Another souvenir is the bell of the Buddha's head in the form of Geishu earthenware.