Seiganto-ji (Japanese: 青岸渡寺) is a Tendai (天台) Buddhist temple located in Nachikatsuura (那智勝浦町), Higashimuro (東牟婁郡) District, Wakayama (和歌山) Prefecture, Japan. Seiganto-ji has been designated as part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 2004.
According to a legend, Seiganto-ji was founded by the priest Ragyō Shōnin (裸形上人) , a monk from India in the 4th century. The temple was purposely built near Nachi Falls, where it may have previously been a site of nature worship.
Like many other temples on the pilgrimage route, Seiganto-ji was burned to the ground by Oda Nobunaga (織田信長) during the civil wars of the 16th century.
The main temple was rebuilt in 1587 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豐臣秀吉), the Imperial Regent who unified Japan after the wars. The building is still preserved well and listed as a nationally Important Cultural Property nowadays.
Not too far from the main temple is a nature fountain name Enmeisui (延命水), literally means ‘life extension water’, Choumeizai drinks a lot.
From the lookout next to Enmeisui, you can enjoy the panoramic view of Nachisan forest, Nachi Waterfalls and the pagoda.
For over a thousand years, Seiganto-ji and Kumano Nachi Taisha (熊野那智大社) had shared the same grounds, but they were separated since the government reinstated the power of the Emperor during the Meiji (明治) era (1868 - 1912).
