Kodamado, Hall of the Small Pearl
This temple enshrines a sacred jewel that is believed to be a manifestation of the Kokuzo, one of the greatest of the bodhisattvas whose wisdom is as boundless as the universe. The hall was originally built in 820 CE by the monk Kukai, the founder of Shingon Buddhism. According to legend, Kukai meditated for seventeen days without rest at a pond not far from here. On the final day, two pearls, one large and one small, miraculously rose from the lake. The larger of the two he took to be a manifestation of the bodhisattva Myoken, god of the North Star, and enshrined it at Chuzenji Temple. The smaller of the two he enshrined here, hence the name Hall of the Small Pearl.