Taiyuji Temple

About 300m east of JR Osaka Station along Ogimachi-dori, standing right in the bustling Umeda district. Founded in 821 by the monk Kukai, its principal image is a Thousand-Armed Kannon statue gifted by Emperor Saga. Emperor Saga's son, Minamoto no Toru, later built a grand seven-hall complex on its spacious grounds, but it burned down completely during the 1615 Summer Siege of Osaka. Rebuilt during the Genroku era, it burned again in WWII air raids, and was restored after the war to its current form. The principal Kannon statue survived every fire and remains enshrined today, and a corner of the grounds holds the grave of Lady Yodo, who took her own life during the Summer Siege. In 1880, the National Assembly Establishment League was formed here, said to be the launching point for the Freedom and People's Rights Movement nationwide.