Izumo 33 Kannon Pilgrimage Temple 30 Kongoji

There were a couple of Fudo Myo statues at temple 30, Kongoji. the 4th temple of the day on this my penultimnate day walking the Izumo Kannon Pilgrimnage. They were surprising because Kongoji is a Rinzai Zen temple and Fudo is most often found at Shingon temples.

Of course it may well have been a Shingon temple before becoming a Rinzai temple, but it is hard to find any history of the temple.

There is a well just below the temple known as the Well of Beauty, and the story associated with it says there was a temple here in the 15th Century.

The main deity enshrined here is Bato Kannon, the Horsehead Kannon who wears a hat that represents a horses head. This kannon is particularly known for looking after animals and so livestock owners pray to her/him. The bato kannon statue is part of the well story and I will post that next...