An 800-year-old ginkgo tree called Tarachine Ginkgo has witnessed the temple's entire modern history, turning brilliant gold each autumn.

The temple gate's guardian statues are reversed from the usual placement, with the A-form and Un-form Nio deities switched from their traditional positions.

The main statue is actually a nested pair: a tiny 5.5cm Shogun Jizo carved by Kobo Daishi sits hidden inside a larger Enmei Jizo statue carved centuries later.

Only about 200 of the original 500 arhat statues survive today after a careless visitor caused a devastating fire in 1915 that destroyed much of the hall.