Gyojado, Hall of the Ascetic 行者堂

Official explanation

This hall enshrines En no Gyoja, or En the Ascetic, the seventh-century mystic who founded Shugendo, a form of ascetic mountain worship whose adherents believe that they can attain supernatural powers by engaging in ascetic practices in the mountains. This religion was once popular at Nikko, and adherents would traditionally begin their pilgrimages into the mountains at this spot, hence the location of this hall here.

It is believed that the original Gyojado was one of the first buildings to be built at Nikko, given the roots of Nikko as a place for mountain ascetic practice. The present building dates back to 1990 and enshrines a statue of En no Gyoja shown with several demons below him. The statue dates to the Kamakura period (1185–1333). According to legend, En no Gyoja used magic powers to subdue these creatures and make them his servants.

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.