Kosanji Temple

Kosanji was revived in the Kamakura period by the priest Myoe, at the behest of Retired Emperor Go-Toba. The National Treasure Sekisui-in is the only building surviving from Myoe's own time, and inside is displayed the retired emperor's dedication naming it the temple where the rising sun first strikes the high mountain. The temple holds more than ten thousand National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, among them the celebrated Choju Jinbutsu Giga animal scrolls, and was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1994. It is also known as the birthplace of tea in Japan, and the oldest tea field in the country survives in its grounds.