Takezaki Kanzeon Temple was built in 709 by the Buddhist priest Gyoki. Today, this temple is dedicated to the Guardian Buddha of Ariake Sea and every winter on the 2nd and 3rd of January, a festival is held called the Takezaki Devil Expelling Festival. The men, who run around dressed only in loincloth with their breath turning white in the freezing night air, are a sight of pure valiance. Also, the doshimai dance performed in the first half of the festival is one of the main attractions and has been designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Saga prefecture. In 1979, the festival in its entirety was designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. The three-tiered stone pillars in the temple grounds are designated as Important Cultural Property of Saga prefecture. The bases of these 1.7-meter high pillars are carved with the patterns of a lotus and a peacock respectively, and they are estimated to have been made in the latter half of the Kamakura Period. The Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Buddha statue is said to be a creation of Gyoki.
● Access:
From train station: 10-minute taxi ride from Hizen-Oura Station on the JR Nagasaki Main Line
Car: 65-minute drive from Nagasaki Expressway Takeo-Kitagata IC
60-minute drive from Nagasaki Expressway Isahaya IC
● Parking Lot:
Accommodates 10 cars (free of charge)
● Contacts:
Tara Tourist Association, Tel: +81-954-67-0065
Division of Planning, Commerce and Industry, Tara Town Office, Tel: +81-954-67-0312
