Sanjusangen-do

Sanjūsangen-dō is a Tendai Buddhist temple in Kyoto’s Higashiyama district, officially called Rengeō-in and part of the Myōhō-in complex. Founded in 1164 by Taira no Kiyomori for Cloistered Emperor Go-Shirakawa, it is best known for its long hondō, completed in 1266 and designated a National Treasure. Inside are 1,001 standing images of Thousand-armed Kannon, 28 attendant figures, and statues of Fūjin and Raijin, along with the large seated main image of Kannon. These works, mostly from the Heian to Kamakura periods, are National Treasures and make the temple an important Buddhist site and a key stop on pilgrimage routes.