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The Zhulin Temple on Mount Wutai was established in the year 724 under the imperial decree of Emperor Shomu, built by the monk Gyoki as a replica of Mount Wutai from the Tang Dynasty. It is a temple with a very long history. During the Daidō era (806–809), it became the 31st sacred site of Shikoku because the great monk Kōbō Daishi practiced here.
The main hall, known as "Monju Hall," enshrines the Bodhisattva Monju and was constructed in the 21st year of the Kan'ei era (1644) by Tosa's second feudal lord, Yamauchi Tadayoshi. It has been designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan.
According to tradition, the garden built by the high priest Musō Soseki, who visited Tosa in the late Kamakura period, is also a must-see highlight. The garden, created on the hillside surrounding the study hall, consists of the bright and southern-style North Garden and the tranquil West Garden, which is said to be modeled after China's Lushan and Poyang Lake.
In addition, there are many must-see attractions, including a five-story pagoda built in 1980 using cypress wood, standing 31 meters tall and designed in the style of the early Kamakura period, to replace the three-story pagoda that collapsed due to a wind disaster.
