Buddhist temple
Kokawa-dera
粉河寺（こかわでら）
Kinokawa, Wakayama Prefecture
A temple of the Kokawa Kannon school known as the 3rd temple of the Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage; its principal image is Senju Sengen Kanzeon Bosatsu. It draws devotion as a Kannon for protection from misfortune (yakuyoke), and it preserves the Kokawa-dera Engi Emaki, a National Treasure.
English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む
Prayers associated with this place
Principal image: Senju Sengen Kanzeon Bosatsu
History and things to know
According to temple tradition, it began in Hōki 1 (770), when the hunter Ōtomo no Kujiko found a place giving off light and built a hermitage there, and it is said that a boy practitioner who visited carved a statue of Senju Kannon. In the Kamakura period it had extensive precincts and many lodgings, but it lost its halls and pagodas in the war of Tenshō 13 (1585), and in the Edo period the present halls were put in order under the protection of the Kishū Tokugawa family.
Introduced by this site, based on materials from the shrine or temple and public bodies.
Related kami and buddhas
Before you visit
Opening hours, access, areas open to visitors, and events can change. Please check the latest guidance from the shrine or temple itself before you go.
Official website of the shrine or temple (may be in Japanese)
Sources (in Japanese)
- 粉河寺「御祭神・御本尊・由緒の公式案内」（2026-10-21 確認）
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