Tochoji Temple was built in the early ninth century by the famous Buddhist priest Kukai (Kobo Daishi) after his return from China. Its name means “a temple that reaches far to the East” and it is said to express Kukai’s wish for Buddhism to spread from Fukuoka in the West to the East of Japan. The temple is best known for its huge Buddha statue, the Great Buddha of Fukuoka. Another point of interest is the Jigoku or hell experience where you walk through a dark corridor. The temple also features a five-story pagoda that is said to contain a Buddhist relic, a bone of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni.

Photograph provided by Fukuoka City