Ōsu Kannon (大須観音) is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon Sect (真言宗) located in central Nagoya (名古屋), Japan. The official name is Kitanosan Shinpuku-ji Hōshō-in (北野山真福寺寶生院), but is popularly known as Ōsu Kannon.
The temple was originally built in Hashima (羽島) in Gifu Prefecture (岐阜県) by the Emperor Go-Daigo (後醍醐天皇) in 1333.
Due to repeated flooding, the temple was moved to its present location in 1612 by Tokugawa Ieyasu (德川家康).In the 1820s, large parts of the temple were destroyed by fire, but it was rebuilt in the 1970s.
In the corner of the temple, there is a Doll Offering Tower (人形供養塔), worshippers can place offerings here for the dolls.
Osu Kannon is quite small and the architecture is not impressive, but the temple houses many precious ancient books, including the oldest manuscript of Kojiki (古事記).
There is an Asama Shrine (浅間神社) not too far from Osu Kannon. Asama Shrine is a type of Shinto Shrine in Japan centered on the worship of the god of volcanoes in general, and Mount Fuji in particular.
There are approximately 1300 Asama Shrines in Japan, almost all Asama Shrines are within sight of Mount Fuji.
Osu Shopping District is just next to Ōsu Kannon, the shopping district has many shops and restaurants, and it is a good place for tourists to buy souvenirs.
