Shikoku 88 Temple 18 Onzanji

According to the legend, when Kukais mother visited him at this temple she was not allowed past the gate as being female she was impure. Kukai performed rituals for 17 days and the ban was lifted and she was allowed into the temple. She became a nun and supposedly her bones are housed here.

The temple was reputedly founded by Gyoki and he carved the statue of Yakushi Nyorai.

The previous 5 temples had all been in an urban environment and so it was nice to be once again out in the countryside, though it was a rainy day, the beginnings of my encounter with the typhoon.

Now the temple belongs to the Shingon sect, and the name translates as "Temple of Gratitude Mountain" referring to Kukais gratitude that his mother was allowed in.