Todoroki Fudoson Temple

Todoroki Fudoson is a Shingon Buddhist temple, set on the wooded slopes above Todoroki Valley. Affectionately known as "the Fudo of Todoroki", it is a branch temple of nearby Manganji, and its principal image is Fudo Myo-o, a guardian deity worshipped for the granting of wishes, protection from misfortune, and good relationships. Its formal name is Ryugosan Myo-oin.

According to tradition, the temple was founded in the late Heian period by the monk Kogyo Daishi (Kakuban), remembered as a great reviver of Shingon Buddhism. In a dream, a statue of Fudo Myo-o appeared to him and told him of a sacred site in the Kanto region. Carrying the image eastward, he came upon a valley just as he had seen it in the dream; when he struck the rock with his staff, a waterfall began to flow. There he enshrined the statue, and this is said to be the origin of Todoroki Fudoson.