5.Hounzan Daikyoji Temple

The “Temple of the Big Bridge” floating on the Usuki River,
casting beautiful shadows on the water

　The history of this temple stretches back to 1548, when Saint Yuhan, who was traveling around the country, opened a hermitage on Ubugashima Island. Later, Lord Sorin Otomo Sorin took refuge with Saint Yuhan and built a Buddhist temple. That temple was named Hounzan Saihoji Temple. Eventually, a large bridge was built between the temple and the town to improve convenience for the ever-increasing number of visitors. That led to the temple becoming known by the residents of the town as the “Temple of the big bridge,” and the name of the temple was changed to Daikyoji (“big bridge”) Temple. After passing through the gate and climbing the stone steps, the temple is divided into a central gate and a Kannon-do Hall, with the main hall spread out beyond the central gate. The building was surrounded by fences and stone walls while taking advantage of the differences in elevation, and it seems to have also been considered to serve as a castle (fortress) in times of war. There are many anecdotes from the time when Christianity was outlawed about how the 6th generation Saint Rekido worked together with the headmaster of the village to save Christians hiding in the village by saying they were all parishioners of Daikyoji Temple. Just as the nickname given by the townspeople to the temple became its official name in the past, the connection between the temple and the people is alive and well now in the Reiwa Era as well.