Akaido 閼伽井堂

Official explanation

The Akaido is a wooden structure before the main hall that houses a well and a small shrine. The Akaido was built in the late Edo period (1603–1867), likely around the same time as the Kisomon Gate. Temple priests would draw water from the well to offer to the deities as part of their daily routine of cleaning the temple and grounds. The well is no longer in use, but visitors can see the wooden buckets and a simple rope-and-wheel pulley system used to draw water.

Behind the well is a shrine dedicated to Suiten, the deity of water and one of the twelve guardian deities in Buddhism. Suiten is the Buddhist equivalent of the Hindu deity Varuna (deity of the sea). The eaves of the Akaido are decorated with detailed carvings of dragons and turtles amongst waves. The Akaido is a Nationally Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.