Thereupon, Ozunu (En no Gyoja), revering the unprecedented nature of this divine oracle, took up an axe with his own hands and finally carved the eleven-faced sacred statue, enshrining it in a hall and constructing other buildings around it. Thus, year after year, he prayed for the nation’s safety and performed rituals for the success of the five grains. The venerable En no Gyoja also created five demon masks and began the Kokusho Festival. This is what is now called “dada” (the exorcism ritual).
En no Gyoja constantly worried, saying: “In the dada ritual, conch shells must be used—this represents enabling all people everywhere to achieve purity by freeing their hearts.” Having said this about his concern over lacking such an instrument, he immediately fell silent.

At one time, Kokusho Daimyojin manifested in bodily form and declared to Ozunu (En no Gyoja): “My ancient vows have now been fulfilled.” When En no Gyoja beheld this divine form, he saw that its height exceeded one jo (about 10 shaku, 1 shaku = 0.9942 feet). It appeared in the form of a celestial maiden wearing heavenly robes, with six arms holding various implements, and riding upon seven wild boar. Furthermore, the deity proclaimed: “The difficulties of the four demons and three obstacles shall be banished far beyond heaven and earth, and the evils of the eastern barbarians and western tribes shall all perish in the depths of the four seas.” Having finished speaking, the vision again vanished completely.

En no Gyoja contemplated that the appearance was entirely that of Marishi-sonten (Marici), and immediately determined this to be the true nature (honji) of Kokusho Myojin. En no Gyoja himself recreated the form of this manifested deity (yogo), carved it into wooden panels, and transmitted it to future generations—it still exists today.

Now, the mountain name was called Shinkosan, and the temple name was designated Kokusho-ji. At the beginning of its founding, there was divine light, and it was thus called (Shinkozan) because of this. Because of the words “I am Kokusho (Myojin),” it became Kokusho-ji.
Thus, En no Gyoja constantly attained the divine way, rode upon clouds, and made demons and spirits serve him as retainers. He traveled through the air and walked upon water with complete freedom of flight.
At this point, En no Gyoja habitually thought: “Sentient beings who should be saved overflow in all directions, and pitiful multitudes fill every province. If I remain here now, I will only save the common people of this locality, but I cannot universally save all laymen without exception. I have great compassion.” Having said this, he immediately departed. No one knew where he went

Thereafter, in the first month of Taiho 1 (701 CE), when the dada (exorcism ritual) was being performed, En no Gyoja came from the void. His appearance was exactly as before. Therefore, this En no Gyoja is a manifestation of Avalokiteśvara (Kannon), possessing the wondrous body of the unfathomable divine way. He is a remarkable upāsaka (lay Buddhist practitioner) who formed karmic connections in Jambudvipa (our world) and possessed the precious way of saving sentient beings.

Furthermore, in Taiho 1 (701 CE) during the reign of Emperor Monmu (683-707 CE), Empress Fujiwara no Fuhito (eldest daughter of Fujiwara no Fuhito; incidentally, her eldest brother was Fujiwara no Muchimaro) heard of En no Gyoja’s spiritual powers and secretly issued a noble command, declaring: “I am already pregnant. I desire to give birth to a male child. I beseech the great practitioner to earnestly perform protective rituals.”
En no Gyoja replied that it would be best to simply pray to the Kannon of this temple. She made vows before the sacred image. Thereafter, in the empress’s dream, brilliant light shone from the south and a monk appeared. He spoke to the empress, saying “Nyaku u nyonin setsu yoku gu nan” (If there be a woman who desires to seek a male child). The empress awoke from the dream with faith deeply impressed upon her heart. Indeed, she was blessed with the birth of a prince, and her joy was immeasurable. This was none other than Emperor Shomu (701-756 CE), the patron of the Great Buddha Hall of Todai-ji. From that time, Kokusho-ji was renamed and called Anjo-ji.

The birth proceeded with complete safety. En no Gyoja also made a vow, saying: “Those who pay reverence to the sacred image of this temple and invoke Kokusho Myojin shall have all their wishes fulfilled in this present world and be born in the Pure Land in the future life. Especially, they shall be protected from difficult childbirth and shall not suffer from physical disabilities. If this is not so, may I never attain enlightenment and fall into the hell of incessant suffering.” Having finished speaking, he departed once again.

Thereafter, Emperor Shomu ascended to the throne, and in the spring of Tenpyo 9 (737 CE), all the temple buildings at this site were completely constructed, and it became an imperial temple for the eternal prosperity of heaven and earth.

Moreover, during the reign of the 49th Emperor Konin, in 773 CE, Empress Inoe (717-775 CE), along with Prince Sawara, Prince Osabe, and others, were exiled to Uchi District in this province due to the slander of Momokawa (Fujiwara no Momokawa). However, the empress did not travel in ordinary circumstances. Being pregnant, she suffered increasingly. As the months progressed, her physical distress became frequent. She took refuge in the mountain shadows of a place called Kurino in Ooka Village, and when she went into labor, it was heard that it was an extremely difficult and dangerous birth.

The mountain people all felt deep sympathy for her suffering and served her in various ways, offering water and other assistance. At this point, one elderly man stepped forward and respectfully said: “Beyond this small mountain, there dwells a miraculous Avalokitesvara (Kannon). The temple is called Anjo-ji.” He then gave a detailed account of En no Gyoja’s founding of the temple, the story of the lady’s (Fujiwara no Fuhito) devotion, and the wondrous manifestations of the deity.
Commentary: What the elderly man (actually an incarnation of Kokusho Myojin) meant was: “This is connected to your father, Emperor Shomu. Originally, Emperor Shomu’s mother, Fujiwara no Fuhito, devoted herself to En no Gyōja and prayed to the Eleven-Faced Kannon Bodhisattva of Anjo-ji for the birth of a male child. Her prayers were answered without fail. She was blessed with a prince, and moreover, it was a safe delivery.”
“That prince is your father, Emperor Shomu.” He continued: “This Buddha has the power to transform difficult births into peaceful ones, which is why everyone calls it Koyasu Kannon. Please face in that direction and offer your prayers.”The empress thought that indeed what the woodcutter said made sense, so she purified herself with water and prayed with utmost sincerity: “Namu kimyo chorai (I take refuge and bow respectfully to the) Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara. Please grant that this prince may be born safely and peacefully.”　When she prayed with complete devotion, without delay her suffering immediately ceased, and the prince was born peacefully.
Commentary: Imperial Princess Inoe (Inoe Naishinno, Empress Inoe, eldest daughter of Emperor Shomu, consort of Emperor Konin) was a late-marrying super-mother who repeatedly gave birth at advanced ages. She married after the age of 30. At 37, she gave birth to Imperial Princess Sakahito (Sakahito Naishinno, who later became consort of Emperor Kanmu), at 45 she gave birth to Imperial Prince Osabe, and amazingly, she gave birth to the above-mentioned prince (Imperial Prince Wakamiya) at age 57!! Many historical facts support this, and there are no historical records that contradict it.
At that time, the elderly man spoke and said: “Since heaven and earth first opened, I have desired to remove suffering and bring happiness to all, from the highest sovereign above to all the myriad families below. Now I have come for your sake. You shall witness my departure.” Saying this, he flew away toward the south. This was indeed Kokusho Daimyojin, the tutelary deity of this temple ground.
From that time onward, this place was named Ubugamine (Birth Peak), and a shrine was built to enshrine the spirit of Empress Inoue, calling it the deity of the birthing bed. To this day, the local people continue to make pilgrimages of reverent devotion and maintain thoughts of pure faith.
Initially, when the empress held the prince and crossed the small mountain from the newly opened land (arachi) to make her reverent pilgrimage to Anjo-ji, this small slope came to be called Arachi Slope in commemoration.

Thereafter, during the reign of Emperor Kanmu (781-806 CE), thunder and lightning roared tremendously, epidemics arose throughout the provinces, and people suffered greatly. This was the divine curse of Imperial Prince Raijin (Thunder God). The one called Raijin was the youngest child of Empress Inoe, who was born at Ubugamine (Birth Peak), and is so called because he became the Thunder God while still alive. This is the Wakamiya (Young Prince) of present-day Ryoan-ji.

Furthermore, during the reign of the 52nd Emperor Saga (809-823 CE), after Kukai’s return from China (806 CE), he resided at this temple and restored the seven-hall temple complex, building over sixty temple buildings. Thereafter, it became an imperial prayer temple for successive sacred sovereigns (emperors), and the resident monks all held official ranks. Moreover, according to the explanation of the shrine families, the manifestation (suijaku) of Kokusho Daimyojin is said to be identical with Tokka Nichizengu of the Grand Shrine of Amaterasu.
However, speaking of the distant origins of this temple’s founding, it is the place where En no Gyoja received divine revelation around the time of its establishment.

Furthermore, if we trace its restoration, it became a sacred site for the Great Master Koso’s (Kukai’s) esoteric Shingon practice. The various halls stood majestically with their roofs aligned in rows, and the living quarters were splendidly arranged with their eaves extending in continuous lines. From this time, Buddhism flourished greatly and continued unbroken into future generations, making it truly an auspicious temple.

Although it was such a flourishing sacred site, natural disasters could not be avoided and the times inevitably changed. During the Oei era (1394-1428 CE, early Muromachi period, around the time of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu), starting with the main hall, the Five Great Halls, the many-storied pagoda, the Yakushi Hall, the bell tower, and the drum tower, everything down to the living quarters and flower gardens became nothing but smoke in a single morning. Only the Kannon and Yakushi statues from the main hall, one shrine hall, and the statue of En no Gyoja barely remained.
After that, there was no one to continue the tradition, so the temple complex became empty in name only, and dew lay heavy on the traces of the monastery’s doors.

However, did heavenly fortune finally come full circle and the opportune time arrive once again? After many years had accumulated, the head priest of Ani-ji from Nara’s Daijo-in took up residence in this place. Lamenting the ruin of this sacred site and grieving over the severance of the Buddhist teachings, he became a fundraising monk himself and completely restored the temple complex, rekindling the lamp that was about to be extinguished and continuing the compassionate life force that was about to cease.

Thereafter, during the Tenbun-Koji period (late Muromachi era), when the realm was greatly in turmoil, this temple was again destroyed by military disasters and fires of war, leaving only the main hall barely standing. Alas, how tragic!
We humbly look up and hope to receive donations from noble and humble people of all directions, to restore it to the great temple of ancient times and shine the light of benefit for all living beings. Therefore, this concludes the brief history of our temple. Accordingly, it is as stated above.

The above was copied exactly as in the original manuscript, completed in accordance with the request of Kubo Hyuga-no-kami Choji, shrine administrator of Kokusho Daimyojin.
Written in the 16th year of Genroku (Mizunoto-Hitsuji), first month, seventh day (1703 CE) Nakahara Shigetsune