Buddhist temple
Matsuo Kannon-ji
松尾観音寺（まつおかんのんじ）
Ise, Mie Prefecture
A temple on Mount Matsuo in Kusubechō, Ise City, bearing the mountain name Ryūchizan. Its principal image is Jūichimen Kanzeon Bosatsu, with Jizō Bosatsu and Bishamonten enshrined at its sides, and it preserves a legend of dragon kami.
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: Jūichimen Kanzeon Bosatsu
History and things to know
According to the temple's tradition, in 712, at the beginning of the Nara period, when Gyōki visited Ise Jingū he learned of a pond where a male and a female dragon were said to live, carved a Kannon statue beside it and opened the temple. Later it was protected as a temple of prayer of the Kitabatake clan and as the clan temple of the Kozukuri clan, and the present main hall was built of zelkova wood in Bunsei 3.
Introduced by this site, based on materials from the shrine or temple and public bodies.
Related kami and buddhas
Before you visit
According to the official guide, the three hidden images, including the principal image, are shown only once every 12 years, in the Year of the Horse.
Official website of the shrine or temple (may be in Japanese)
Sources (in Japanese)
- 松尾観音寺「御祭神・御本尊・由緒の公式案内」（2026-10-22 確認）
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