Takizan Suisyoji Daishoin Temple

Takisan Suishō-ji Daishō-in, commonly known as "Daishō-in," is the head temple of the Omuro branch of Shingon Buddhism. It has the oldest history among the temples on Miyajima and is said to have been founded in 806 after Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) trained on Mount Misen on his return voyage from Tang China. Until the Meiji-era separation of Shinto and Buddhism, it had as many as twelve sub-temples and served as the chief temple (bettō) for Itsukushima Shrine, making it Miyajima’s principal monastic center.
There are countless episodes that convey Daishō-in’s prestige: Toyotomi Hideyoshi held linked-verse gatherings here; Emperor Meiji stayed here during his imperial visit; Itō Hirobumi was a devout believer and spent his own funds to develop the Mount Misen trail; and in 2006 the Dalai Lama also visited. In Daishō-in’s Kannon Hall is an Eleven-Headed Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) statue said to have been made by Gyōki, and in the Chokugan Hall is a seated Namikiri Fudō Myōō statue that Hideyoshi revered as a protective deity during the invasions of Korea. It is also a place where you can enjoy activities such as zazen meditation, esoteric Buddhist meditation, sutra copying and Buddha-image copying, making prayer beads (nenju), and trying shōjin ryōri (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine). Access to Daishō-in is about a 30-minute walk from Miyajima Pier.