Kongō Dōji Ruins
Beneath the undergrowth, foundation stones and pillar bases mark the former location of a shrine to Kongō Dōji. Its date of construction is unknown, but its appearance in folktales from the late thirteenth century indicates that it stood for at least 600 years until it was destroyed by either fire or flood. The enshrined deity, known in Sanskrit as “Vajrakumāra,” is a divine being within certain sects of Esoteric Buddhism.
During the middle years of the Edo period (1603–1867), this shrine was one of seven processional stops during the temple’s spring festival on May 24. Like the nearby Shaka Hall ruins, it was eventually rebuilt on the far side of the Daisenji Temple complex sometime during the nineteenth century.