Saizen-in (西善院)

Akushu Daishi (center) & Koya-kun (right)

The Koyasan Shingon Buddhist temple of Saizen-in (西善院), in Samukawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, standing along the sando of Samukawa-jinja Shrine, was originally built as a subordinate temple of the shrine.

In front of the temple building, to the left, is a stone statue of the Buddhist monk Kukai (空海) (774 ~ 835), posthumously called Kobo Daishi (弘法大師), the founder of Shingon Buddhism.  Visitors can shake hands with the statue as it is named "Akushu Daishi (握手大師)" where akushu (握手) means to shake hands in Japanese.

Koya-kun, a mascot character of Koyasan, is placed at the entrance of the temple office.

This temple also has a statue of Jizo Bosatsu (地蔵菩薩), or Ksitigarbha, which is designated as cultural property by Samukawa.