The temple with its 120 m long hall Sanjûsangen-dô, the “hall with 33 niches between the columns”, was built in the middle of the 12th century by order of Emperor Go-Shirakawa (1127-92). The hall contains a total of 1001 life-size kannon figures painted gold. Each figure is eleven-headed and has forty arms. This Buddhist carving is guarded by 28 impressive guardian figures. Sanjûsangen-dô is also known for its challenging longbow shooting competition tôshiya (“arrows that hit the target”).
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