Kanjō-in Ceremony Hall
Tōji was a government-sponsored temple, built to ensure divine protection for the emperor, his court, the capital, and the country. The temple played an important role in the rituals of the Japanese state. Every year from January 8 to 14, Shingon monks hold the Latter Seven Day Ritual (Go-Shichinichi Mishihō) in Kanjō-in Ceremony Hall to ensure the wellbeing of the emperor and protect Japan. Kanjō-in is also used throughout the year for rituals that mark the transmission of secret religious knowledge from teacher to pupil.
The Kanjō-in has been rebuilt many times since its establishment in the ninth century. The present structure was commissioned in 1634 by Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604–1651), the third Tokugawa shogun. It was built for the 800th anniversary of Kūkai’s (774–835) entrance into eternal meditation. The hall is open to the public for only two days a year: one day in January and one in April.