The way towards the top of Mt. Akabe has another temple where Emperor Go-Daigo lived. It was named Urumi-bō, until the Emperor changed its name to Shōyō-ji after the garden of pine trees that Mt. Akabe had in those days.

The wooden statue enshrined in Shōyō-ji Temple is said to have been brought by Emperor Go-Daigo.

Since the days of old, a 25 cm-long, black container of bamboo has remained in the temple, in which lies a bamboo statue of the Buddha Nandikesvara. Clearly expressing relations between the sexes, this Buddha was popular 400 years ago in China. However, it is usually made of clay or wood, making this bamboo statue an extremely rare find.

Once a year, this statue of Nandikesvara and its accompanying bamboo container are on exhibit. We were able to take a special picture of this Buddha, which we have put below. Take a look and try to imagine what kind of Buddha Nandikesvara may be.